Two of a Kind
by TMadison
Summary: A/U. In this story, Betty never when to London and is set in late 2011. Daniel and Betty have both left MODE to start a new magazine within Meade Publications. While their professional lives are still entwined, their personal lives have taken their own paths. What happens when their personal lives begin to collide? And what will be left when the smoke clears?
1. Chapter 1

**Two of a Kind**

_Summary: A/U. In this story, Betty never when to London and is set in late 2011. Daniel and Betty have both left MODE to start a new magazine within Meade Publications. While their professional lives are still entwined, their personal lives have taken their own paths. What happens when their personal lives begin to collide? And what will be left when the smoke clears?_

_Author's Note: Before you throw daggers at me, this fic will feature our favorite two people, married to other people. Please have some faith in me as I write this story, as I'm trying to do something a little bit different. This will be Detty...I promise...I hope you will enjoy this story. Please let me know what you think._

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**Chapter One**

There was an extra spring in Daniel's step this morning, as he moved quickly through the SPARK Magazine office. In addition to the MAMA Awards being tonight and the fact that his and Betty's magazine had been nominated in several categories, he had other reasons to believe that this was going to be a great day.

"Good Morning, Jordon." He smiled at his and Betty's dark-haired perky assistant that had been with them for almost a year now. As soon as Betty met her, she had known that Jordon would be perfect and as usual, Betty had been right about her instincts.

"Good Morning, Mr. Meade." She handed him his messages. "Someone is in a good mood this morning."

"Well, I have lots of reasons to be happy," said Daniel.

"How is Brooke?" Jordon asked about Daniel's new wife, Brooke. He had met Brooke Blanc six months ago at a charity event that he attended with Betty and her new husband, Dean Martinez.

There was nothing like a beautiful super model to keep you from feeling like the third wheel.

Not only was she beautiful though, she was smart. She had her Master degree from Harvard. It didn't take long before Brooke became a permanent fixture in his life. Three months after they met, they were married in an impromptu ceremony in Las Vegas, followed by two week honeymoon in Italy.

"She's great. I talked to her this morning. She's been in Paris for two days doing a photo shoot but she will be back tonight for the MAMA Awards," said Daniel.

He added. "Oh…speaking of that, could you please pick up Brooke and Betty's dresses from the designer?"

"I'd be happy to do that. And also the limo will pick you up at 7:30. And I'll make sure to check with Nigel about the necklaces for Betty and Brooke." Jordon scanned her to-do list. "And I will have each necklace delivered. One to your home and one to Betty's."

"Thank you." Daniel said happily.

Daniel glanced in the direction of his and Betty's office door. He had gotten a call from her a two hour ago, asking him to do her a huge favor and to meet her at the office. It was a favor that gave Daniel mixed emotions.

"Is Betty here yet?" Daniel asked, as he held his briefcase in one hand and two small bags in other.

"She's already in your office."

"Great," Daniel started toward his and Betty's shared office. "Could you hold all our calls?"

"Yes. Mr. Meade." Jordon nodded.

He turned around again.. "And we don't want to be disturbed."

Jordon nodded again. "No problem."

Daniel turned and made his way toward the entrance to their office. As soon as he entered the office, he closed the door and locked it.

After all, it was not unusual for people to show up unexpectedly. Amanda still wandered up here from the MODE floor, where she worked as a stylist. Marc even came up here on occasion as well. Then, there was his mother, who insisted on showing up unexpectedly to see what they were up to.

This was a day that Daniel didn't want any disturbances and he knew that Betty didn't either. She was already on edge enough.

"Hey." Daniel took a deep breath and placed his briefcase down on his desk, along with the two bags.

"Hey." Betty grinned. He could see how anxious Betty was, even though she was trying to hide it. She rose from her seat and met him half way between their desks. "Did you get it?"

"Yes." He handed the bag over to her.

"Thank you so much, Daniel." She pulled him into a hug. He could feel her tense body; relax when he tightened their embrace. "I don't know what I would do without you."

She added. "I hope that it wasn't too much trouble. I don't want to get you in trouble with Brooke."

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, I paid the driver to go inside and buy it for me." Daniel knew that it probably wasn't wise to be seen purchasing a pregnancy test when his wife was out of town. Of course, he would have done it, if he had to. After all, it was Betty. She was one of the people in his life that he would walk through fire for.

Betty pulled away, still holding the bag containing the test in her hand. "I guess I better go. Uh…and find out."

"I'll be waiting out here." He said supportively.

Betty just nodded and then excused herself into the private bathroom that was adjoined to their office. When the door closed, Daniel could feel how anxious she was.

He knew that he should probably go sit down at his desk and try to pass the next few minutes. He couldn't though. All he could do was pace the length of their office waiting for Betty to emerge with an answer.

Daniel knew that Betty was nervous about starting a family right now. She had told him that several times during the late nights at the office. Dean kept pressuring her though and a few months ago, she caved in to his request.

A few minutes later, Betty emerged from the bathroom. The look on her face didn't tell him anything. The only thing he saw was a sad expression on Betty's face.

Sad because she wasn't pregnant and she knew that she was going to disappoint Dean. Or sad because she was pregnant and wasn't ready for it. He didn't know which. Either way, Daniel knew that he would be there for his best friend.

"So…." He slowly approached her.

"Not pregnant." Betty looked up at him.

"How do you feel about that?" Daniel asked her, as he pulled her into a hug.

She rested her head against his shoulder. "Glad I didn't tell Dean."

"And why not? He is your husband, Betty. You need to talk to him."

"I know. It's so stupid. It's just…I don't want him to be disappointed." Betty let out a sigh, as she pulled out of his embrace. "I promised that as soon as that as soon as the magazine was off the ground."

"Betty, you need to talk to him. You need to tell him that you aren't ready."

"I will…"

"I don't believe you." Daniel gave her a skeptical glance.

"Okay. I'm not going to talk to him about it. Are you happy now, Daniel?" Daniel knew hated that he knew her so well. In fact, they had worked so closely this last year. They had started to finish each other sentences.

"Do you want me to talk to him tomorrow? Dean and I are supposed to go running tomorrow after noon."

"No…Please don't. I don't want him to know that I talked to you about that." Betty's eyes grew wide.

"Okay…" He said plainly.

"Daniel Nicholas Meade, promise me that you won't say anything." Betty said sternly and crossed her arms. "I'll never forgive you."

"Betty, you know I won't say anything if you don't want me to." Daniel held his hands up in surrender, as he headed back to his desk on his side of the room. "I'm just trying to look out for you." He sat down behind his desk.

"And I love you for that." Betty moved towards him. "It's just that it's complicated. Dean has been so supportive since you and I started this magazine together. In the last year, I've probably spent more time with you than with him and he hasn't even complained about the late nights at the office, the business trips and the parties."

Betty rested against the edge of his desk. "I'm just trying to compromise and give him what he wants."

"He's very lucky to have you. You are amazing, Betty." Daniel grinned. "There aren't many women that would do that." He had to wonder if Brooke would do that for him.

"Well, I'm not just any woman," said Betty confidently.

"I know…" Daniel agreed. "I know my life hasn't been the same since you crashed into it. If it weren't for you, I would be nothing."

"I guess we should probably get some work done. We have a big night tonight and I know we are going to win tonight."

"I hope so." Daniel knew they had sure put in the work with their limited resources and staff. "We deserve it."

Daniel caught Betty eyeing the other bag on his desk. "Is that what I think it is?" Betty asked curiously. Her eyes lit up with wonder.

"Of course it is. I know that donuts from the bakery around the corner are your favorite and I just figured if you were pregnant, you would probably be craving them," said Daniel. "The second, you called me. I was ready to buy the place." As much as he knew that Betty wasn't ready for a child, he could honestly say that the idea of being Uncle Daniel wasn't a little bit thrilling to him.

"You were going to buy the bakery for me?" Betty giggled; a she grabbed the bag from his desk.

"Hey. You did promise that I could be the baby's god father….and anyway, I just figured it would be cheaper to just own the place than to have to buy you donuts every morning for the next nine months."

"Aw...that's so sweet." Betty plucked the donut from the bag and gave him a mischievous grin. "I love the way you think."

"I guess that's why we make such a great team." Daniel grinned, as he watched Betty took a small bite of the donut.

Betty just nodded happily, as she enjoyed Daniel's gift.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for your comments and feedback. I appreciate them._

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**Chapter Two**

So far, this night was not going the way that Betty had planned. As she opened her compact mirror, Betty checked her reflection. She was grateful that there was no sign of the tears that had invaded her eyes earlier tonight. She could only hope that she could keep the tears at bay throughout the rest of the night.

This night was too important to allow anything or anyone to ruin it for her or Daniel. And Betty knew that was exactly what would happen, if Daniel saw her tears. He would insist on knowing why she was crying and the last thing she wanted to do was rehash the emotional conversation that she had with Dean this afternoon when she told him that results of the test. This lead to a conversation about reorganizing her priorities and putting her career on the back burner.

She really didn't need to even think about it. To leave SPARK Magazine behind after everything that she and Daniel had gone through to build it, it just made her want to cry. Thinking about it would lead to tears and that would act as an instant trigger that would spring Daniel into protective mode. As soon as he saw them, it was like the bat signal was to Batman. He would jump into action to fix whatever was bothering her.

He was kind of like her personal super hero. Still, there were things that even Daniel couldn't fix. Of course, it still didn't keep her from imagining him in super hero suit and cape.

An image that brought a smile to her face.

Never in her life had Betty had a friend like him. He understood her when even her own husband didn't. Daniel always knew how to make her laugh. Daniel always knew what to do to make her tears subside and take her pain to go away.

Her connection with Daniel had been left a sore spot between her and Dean when they first met. Dean had questioned Betty in the first month of their courtship, if she had feelings for Daniel. She assured him that while she loved Daniel. They were best friends and there was no way that they would ever be together romantically. She told him that Daniel was part of her life though and that was the way it always would be. She and Daniel were a team and a package deal. Any man that wanted to be part of her life would have to accept that.

Thankfully, Dean understood and stuck around. It probably didn't hurt that Dean and Daniel were friends at Harvard and their families were old friends. Plus, it was thanks to Daniel that she and Dean met at all. One night just over a year ago, she and Daniel were having dinner after work when they ran into Dean.

The following day, he sent her flowers, called her and asked her out. Six months ago, she became Betty Martinez. In the six months since they were wed, they had their ups and downs. Betty had the magazine. Dean had his own busy schedule as an attorney with one of New York's most prestigious law firms. They managed though.

"Daniel, relax." Betty could see that Daniel was anxious about tonight and the fact that Brooke's flight was delayed. "She'll be there."

"I….uh…I know" Daniel looked up from his phone. "Her flight landed forty minutes ago. She's on her way home to change now." He hand his phone in his hand. "This was supposed to be our first event together and she's not here."

"She's been on a plane for hours, Daniel. She can't help it," said Betty. "Beside, you should consider yourself lucky. You have an amazing best friend and co-editor that you get to walk in with." Betty batted her eyes playfully. Betty closed the mirror and placed it back into her clutch, closing it.

"That's true." Daniel smiled and reached across the seat and took her hand, squeezing it gently, rubbing his thumb across the thumb of her hand. "Not to mention, that she looks very beautiful tonight in that dress."

Betty glance down at her blue gown, as she felt a warmth rush over her. "That's very sweet, Daniel. You look great too." She said sincerely. "Very handsome as always."

Betty pulled her hand away and brought her hand the necklace that Daniel had bought her. "Thank you for my necklace, Daniel. You really shouldn't have."

"I wanted to do something special for you. I know you usually like to wear your pearls but I figured this was kind of a diamond night. I have a really good feeling that we are going to win."

"You sure are confident. Considering that we are up against MODE and they've had a really great year," Betty reached for the pear shaped tanzanite pendant that was surrounded by a double row of diamonds. It was beautiful. The blue of the tanzanite reminded her of Daniel's eyes, she thought briefly.

"We've had a pretty amazing year too. This year working….with you has been amazing. There is no one else that I would rather have done this with," said Daniel.

"Me either." Betty felt her eyes begin to tear up, thinking about Dean's request. Once again, she pushed it to the back of her mind.

"Perhaps, it was meant to be that we walk in together. After all, it's our night," said Daniel.

"Yes. Exactly." Betty took a deep breath.

"So…what's the story with Dean?" Daniel drew his attention away from his phone. "You never really said why he couldn't take you."

"He had a late meeting." It was always a late meeting. It seem. Why tonight of all nights though? Even after their conversation, he still should have been on time. Dean knew how important this night was to her.

Betty tried to calm herself before she started crying again. She knew that they would get through this time. Things were just all over the place right now between her job, his job and trying to conceive. There was just a lot of stress in their life.

Right then, Betty decided that tonight when she and Dean got home. She would sit him down and have a rational conversation about what she wanted, just like Daniel had suggested earlier today. She would tell Dean that she wanted to postpone having a family until things were more settled in their careers and in their marriage. After all, they had only been married six months and had known each other a year. And she also didn't plan on trading her career for family. She was determined that she could have both.

SPARK Magazine was her baby right now. She was still young. She had plenty of time for a family.

Betty heard her phone buzz. She opened her clutch and pulled it out to see that Dean had sent her a text.

"Dean said that he would be happy to pick up Brooke on his way to the Awards," said Betty.

"Great. I'll let Brooke know." Daniel pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text. She returned Dean's message telling him that would be okay.

"I'm sure you are glad to have her home again." Betty was really happy for Daniel since he got together with Brooke. She knew better than anyone that he would never be capable of going back to his old ways. It was great to see him find happiness again.

"Well, she leaves next weekend for Hawaii for a swimsuit photo shoot. She'll be gone for four days," said Daniel reluctantly.

Betty's heart fell. "Again."

"Yeah." He said putting his phone back in his pocket.

"She's gone all the time."

"It's not easy but we make it work." Daniel assured her. "Dean travels a lot too. You know what it's like."

"Not as much as she has," said Betty. If Betty had to guess, Brooke had been away about half of the time that she and Daniel had been married. There was times when even though Betty was happy for him. She had to wonder whether he rushed into the marriage too soon.

"I guess you are right. I feel like the only thing he does is come home to have sex," said Betty.

Daniel chuckled. "It'll get better. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. I'm not going to ask her to slow down her career for me. I know how much she loves it."

"I have an idea." Betty said. "Why don't you go with her to Hawaii?"

"I can't do that. We have things to do at the magazine. I can't leave you with all the work, "said Daniel.

"Please…It's the least I could do. After all, it's my fault that you had to cut your honeymoon short," said Betty guilty.

"That was not your fault. You couldn't help that the printer was being an …."

Betty reached for his hand. "Please…go to Hawaii with your wife. You deserve it. There really isn't that much to do next week. I can handle it."

"Or how about you and Dean come with us?" Daniel suggested. "It'll be fun."

"I'm not sure that Dean will be able to," said Betty.

"Come on. I'll talk him into it. I know that the two of you could use some time away too," said Daniel. "You've told me that yourself. We can always bring Jordan along to handle our work."

"We'll talk to them about it later, Daniel. Let's just get through tonight," said Betty. "Okay?"

"Okay." Daniel nodded in agreement, as they came to a stop in front of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for all the feedback and comments. I appreciate them and help keep me moving forward with this story._

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**Chapter Three**

When they began to announce the nominees for Issue of the Year, Daniel reached over and took Betty's hand. When he did, she glanced over at him and their anxious eyes met. Within moments, they would both know whether their days and nights and hard work and sacrifice were going to pay off.

The anticipation was building as they continued to read through the list of nominees. Daniel turned his attention over to the empty seat on the other side of him and then back to the empty one on the other side of Betty. He couldn't help but wonder what might be holding up their respective spouses. He figured that Brooke would have texted him by now to let him know where she was.

As sad as he was that Brooke wasn't there, Daniel was grateful that Betty was by his side. This moment could be one of the biggest moments of their career and there was nothing that could spoil it.

His mind came to a halt, temporarily forgetting everything else, except that they had reached the end of the list of nominees.

"And the winner is…SPARK Magazine."

The crowd broke out into thunderous applause. For a moment, Daniel wondered if he actually really heard the name of his and Betty's magazine. He quickly looked over at his mother and saw an amused grin, yet proud, look on her face. She had told him for weeks that there was no way that SPARK Magazine wasn't going to win. His mother always did know what was right and what wasn't.

Then, he turned his attention to Betty. He helped her from her chair and kissed her on the cheek, as Betty beamed with excitement. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before they made their journey from their seats to the podium to accept their award.

As they made their way through the applauding crowd, Daniel recalled this night two years earlier when MODE won this same award. That had not only been a memorable night for Daniel, it had also been tragic because it was the night that Molly had passed away.

He pushed her memory away because he knew that Molly wouldn't want him to ruin this moment with sadness. She would want him to revel in the sweetness of this victory because it was something that he and Betty had built for themselves. It was the result of the love and dedication that they had poured into the magazine that had their voice and had a message for the world, not just the fashion industry. SPARK was meant to spark inspiration in others and it had done that, for him, for Betty and for their readers.

They had managed to create a magazine in a challenging economy on a limited budget and with a limited staff. They had overcome their obstacles and they had created a successful magazine.

When they reached the stage, Betty was handed their award, while he approached the podium. He glanced over at Betty and their award. Daniel wasn't sure what he liked better: The sparkle in her eye or the brightness of her smile. Regardless, he was mesmerized by her beauty. He knew that he would never forget how Betty looked at this very moment.

Daniel took a deep breath, as he tried to calm his beating heart. In his jacket pocket, he had a prepared speech but he was suddenly inspired to speak from the heart.

"Wow….this is just amazing." He glanced over at the award and Betty again. His eyes turned back to the crowd. In the back of the room, he saw Dean and Brooke enter the room quietly.

He continued. "I have to say that this past year has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. When I left MODE and Betty and I decided to work together and start this magazine, I can honestly say that had no idea that we would be standing here together tonight. The crazy thing is that I should have expected it because of the woman who is standing beside me. My best friend, Betty." Daniel gazed over at her again. "Betty has this amazing way of never letting me give up when things get too hard. Without her, I can honestly SPARK magazine would not be the success that it has become and personally…I know that my life would have turned out a lot differently."

Betty smiled shyly.

"A few years ago, I stood on this stage and talked about people who come into your life and change it for the better. I was talking about Betty. It has been one of the greatest gifts that I've ever received to be able to watch her bloom into this extraordinary woman that we all know and love today. I look forward to many more years of working with her and making our magazine the best that it can be. I guarantee that this night is only going to be the beginning. Thank you."

The crowd began applauding once again. Daniel turned to Betty to help her down the stairs. Once they finished descending the stairs, everyone had begun to disperse as the awards came to an end.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Betty stopped him. "Daniel, you really didn't have to say all that about me. SPARK is our baby. We both worked very hard on it." Betty had tears in her eyes.

"Yes I did." He grabbed her free hand. "Everything I said was true. I don't know where I would be without you. You really are my best friend."

"And you mine, Daniel." Betty smiled through her tears. She pulled him into a hug. Their award secured in Betty's hand, between them. "I love you so much."

He brought his arms around her. "I love you too, Betty." He murmured against her hair, as he saw Brooke and Dean were headed their way. Brooke was stopped by his mother while Dean continued towards them.

Daniel released his hold on Betty reluctantly, as he watched Betty head over to greet her husband with a hug and a passionate kiss. As Daniel watched them, he felt his heart tug a little at the happiness that was on Betty's face.

Despite that Daniel hated the that Dean seemed to be pressuring Betty into having a family right away and the fact that Daniel wished that Betty would talk to Dean about how she felt about that, he could see that Betty seemed to be otherwise happy with her marriage. And that was all that Daniel could ever want for Betty. Her happiness meant everything to him.

Finally, Brooke broke away from his mother's capture and made her way over to him. His heart pounded wildly, as he took in her gorgeous body and her long blonde hair. Brooke looked incredible in the strapless tight-fitting red cocktail dress that left little to the imagination.

"Hey, sweetie." He drew his hands to his wife's waist.

"Hey sexy." She purred. Daniel wasted no time kissing her, as he felt himself suddenly wishing that he could just skip the rest of the night and take Brook home this minute. He knew that they had a lot of celebrating to do though. This was an important night for him and Betty. His and Brooke's private celebration would have to wait until later.

As they kissed, she slipped her arms around his neck, eagerly deepening the kiss. In that moment, Daniel was pretty sure that he would forgive her for whatever caused their delayed arrival.

As they broke apart, Daniel tried to steady his breathing and tame his arousal. "I missed you so much"

"I missed you too," said Brooke. She still clung to him, as Daniel glanced over her shoulder to see Betty and Dean in calm but obviously, intense conversation.

Daniel pulled his attention back to Brooke, doing a double take of her dress. "What happened to your other dress? I thought you were going to wear the black one. It looked hot on you….not that this one doesn't."

"OH…my god. It was too small. I think they screwed up the alterations or something," Brooke said, obviously annoyed at the error. "Can you believe it? That's why were late. I had to find something else to wear and then we got caught in traffic. I feel terrible, sweetie. I really wanted to be here for you tonight."

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you are here now." Daniel said gratefully.

Brooke leaned forward and whispered against his ear. "I will make it up to you later. I promise."

"That sounds promising." Daniel raised an eyebrow suggestively. "I can't wait." He planted a soft kiss on her beautiful lips.

"Hey, Daniel," said Dean. "Let's take our girls out to celebrate. How about some drinks and some dancing?"

"Sounds perfect." Daniel's eyes connected with Betty's for a second before she pulled her eyes away. The light in her eyes had dimmed just a bit.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Two of A Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for the comments and feedback. I appreciate it. I love all the speculations that you guys have. It makes this even more fun to write._

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**Chapter 4**

With Dean's arm protectively around her, they sat in the booth with Hilda and Bobby. Betty was beginning to wonder who she was married to. Dean was doing an amazing job at playing the part of the proud husband, telling everyone how proud he was of her accomplishments.

The only thing that Betty could guess was that he had temporary amnesia about their conversation earlier today and then his comments at the Waldorf Astoria, following the MAMA Awards and only moments after she and Daniel had been presented with their award.

He wanted her to leave SPARK Magazine now that she had accomplished her goal. He said that her career was getting in their way of their goal of having a family.

The more she thought about it, the madder that Betty got. As the night progress, it became harder and harder for her to paint a smile on her face for everyone she met. It was a battle to engage in lively conversation with everyone that had come along to celebrate their award.

The only thing that Betty wanted to do was scream, after she heard Dean mention to one of her staff members that now that magazine was a success. The next goal was a baby..

It wasn't that Betty didn't want a family. However, it just was not the only thing that she wanted in her life. When they had started talking about having a family, he had been agreeable to her request to continue working at SPARK. Now, he wanted her to give up everything that she had worked for to stay home and become the perfect wife and mother to go along with his perfect career.

This was not the life she had imagined when she said I do. The more she tried to compromise with Dean, the more that Dean seemed to want to take from her.

"I'm so proud of you, Betty." Hilda hugged Betty. "I wish we didn't have to go so soon but we need to get back and relieve Justin of baby-sitting duty. He's already mad enough that he had to miss out on seeing you win tonight."

"Tell him that I'll call him in the morning." Betty pulled away.

"I will. Love you." Hilda and Bobby waved good-bye and made their way over to the dance floor to say a quick good bye to Daniel and Brooke, who had been on the dance floor for a majority of the evening.

Betty wanted to talk to Daniel so badly. He always listened to her and was always on her side. She really needed that right now.

Now, she and Dean sat there alone in silence. Betty felt her tears threatening, as she watched Daniel and Brooke resume their slow dance.

Occasionally, Daniel would look her way and give her a smile. She always tried to make sure that she was ready with a quick smile to send him in return.

Betty was so happy for Daniel. He looked so happy, dancing with his wife and basking in the glow of their night of celebration. There was so much hope in Daniel's eyes. Hope for his marriage. Hope for their magazine.

Betty knew that she couldn't take that away from him.

Leaving SPARK Magazine behind would also mean leaving Daniel behind. Even if she did, she knew that he would still be part of her life. But she wasn't foolish enough to believe to think that things wouldn't change.

There would no more late night talks in the office. There would be no more early morning breakfasts to go over their day. There would be no more business trips, where they would find some all-night diner, order chili cheese fries and talk until dawn about nothing at all.

There was no way that she could do that let go of that. Daniel was a part of her. He was her best friend. This past year had been the best years of her career at Meade Publication. It was only going to get better.

No. She was not going to give up her career. She was determined now. Dean was just going to have to find a way to deal with that. After all, he knew when they met and got married how important her career was.

"I'm not leaving the magazine, Dean." Betty turned and looked at Dean.

"Betty, come on. You don't need the stress. That's probably why you aren't pregnant yet." He tugged her closer.

"Dean, stop it. I love my job. I love this magazine. You just need to accept that. You knew when we met that my career was important to me. I'm willing to compromise and have a family…but I'm not giving up my career." She said boldly. "I support you in your career and don't question the hours that you spend there or all the business trips."

"You know I don't have a choice there." Daniel protested.

"Well, I could easily argue that I don't want our child to have a father that works all the time and is always out of town," said Betty. It was time for her to stand up for herself like Daniel told her to. She knew that Daniel would never ask Brooke to give up her modeling career. Of course, Dean and Daniel were two different men. The only similarities between the two men is that they came from well-off families and had blue eyes that you could get lost in.

"Betty…"

"No. I need you to listen to me. I can have a career and a family. Daniel is very supportive of our plans. He has already said that when I'm ready to have a baby. I can take as much time off as I need and he will take care of everything at the magazine. He even said that he will make arrangements so that I can bring the baby to work with me."

"Daniel is sure accommodating to your every need, isn't he?" Dean said sharply.

"He is being supportive. You could learn something from him," said Betty. "I know that Daniel would never ask Brooke to give up her career like you are doing to me."

"Okay…fine." Dean gave in. "You can stay at the magazine…for now."

"Dean, thank you." Betty leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"Yeah…Maybe on this trip that Daniel has planned, we'll have better luck." Dean said suggestively.

"Maybe…" Betty said happily. "A vacation might be just the thing we need."

"Do you want another drink?" Dean pulled his ringing phone out of his pocket.

"No. I really don't feel like it," Betty nodded, as Dean focused turned this phone. "I barely touched this watered down one."

"Okay….uh…I'll be right back. It's my assistant. I am going to go outside to take this call." Dean kissed her on the cheek. "I'll be back in a minute."

Then, Dean was gone. He made his way through the crowd of dancers. Betty knew that Dean was probably gone for a while. Nothing was ever quick with him. A minute meant that he would be gone for at least thirty minutes.

Betty let out a sigh of relief that she had managed to talk Dean and come to an understanding. At least for the moment.

"Would you like to dance?"

Betty gazed up to see Daniel holding out his hand. Her face erupted in a smile. "You should be dancing with Brooke."

"She stepped out to get some air with Jordan and her boyfriend."

"Oh…" Betty said shyly. "Dean will probably be back soon."

"Betty, Dean hasn't danced with you all night."

Betty tried to think of an excuse for Dean. Then, she realized that she hadn't had any. He had spent most of the evening schmoozing with everyone, while she sat by his side and played the part of the dutiful wife.

"Do you want me to talk to him and tell him about how he should be treating you? Daniel suggested.

"No. Daniel."

"Okay…but only one condition."

"Please do me the honor of dancing with me, Ms. Co-Editor in Chief?" He offered his hand once again.

Betty smiled. "I would love that, Mr. Co-Editor in Chief. I guess one dance would be okay." She took his hand as he helped her to her feet for the first time tonight. As she rose from the seat, she suddenly felt the room begin to spin around, causing her to almost tumble forward.

Daniel quickly reached for her waist to steady her. "Betty, are you okay?"

"Uh…yeah." She tried to gather herself, as everything came to a stand-still once again. "I just got dizzy there for a minute. I'm fine now. It just must be all the excitement of the night." She lifted her eyes to meet Daniel's concerned eyes.

"Are you sure?" He asked again. His voice was so full of warmth and compassion. "Are you hungry? I noticed you didn't eat much at dinner. I could go get you something."

Betty smiled and lifted her hand to his cheek. "Always trying to take care of me."

"And I always will." Daniel said sincerely. His hands left her waist. Daniel then took her hand in his, led her onto the dance floor.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback and comments. No Detty in this chapter…and I doubt there will be a fan club for Dean, after this chapter._

* * *

**Chapter Five**

After a few days and delays, Daniel and their group had arrived in Hawaii for Brooke's photo shoot and five days of fun and relaxation that he knew was overdue for all of them. Since the night of the MAMA Awards, almost a week ago now, Daniel had felt unsettled and worried about the tension that was going on between Betty and Dean.

On the night of the awards, he saw the light in Betty's eyes dim, when it should have been full of hope about the future. She had accomplished her goal of running a successful magazine, building it from the ground up.

She should have been happy but all Daniel saw was darkness when he looked in her eyes. Through that night, Daniel had wanted to ask her what was wrong. It had been almost impossible to get any time alone with her. Between dancing with Brooke and the onslaught of congratulations, he was lucky to get half a dance with her, before they were interrupted by Brooke's return.

In the days that followed the awards, he did ask her, if everything was okay and she told him that it was. Later that same day, he was presented evidence of her answer when he returned from lunch to find Betty and Dean having sex in the office.

Then the day before they left on their trip, Daniel started to get that unsettling feeling again when he overheard Betty on the phone with Dean in a heated conversation about him pressuring her when she wasn't ready to have a child yet. While Daniel was very proud of her for making her opinion known to Dean, he had the feeling, even without hearing the other side of the conversation that Dean was not taking it well.

Daniel tried to bring it up with her later. He got the same answer that he had gotten a few days before. She told him that everything was fine. Daniel knew better though. He knew that something was wrong with her. He knew Betty had this way of trying to hide things from him because she didn't want him to get involved.

And now that he knew there were problems that weren't being resolved and was the result of Betty's unhappiness, Daniel felt the need to go to the source.

In the hotel bar, Daniel found Dean sitting at the bar having a drink with Jordan. The echo of her laughter seemed to carry through the room. As Daniel approached he was even more unsettled by the flirtatious way, in which the two were carrying on.

Daniel slid on to the stool beside Dean and ordered bartender. All the while, Dean seemed to ignore Daniel's presence.

"Well, I think that I better go get ready for dinner," said Jordan. "Thank you, Dean…I mean, Mr. Martinez for the dink. You are so sweet."

"Anytime." Dean said, before he lifted his glass to his lips.

"See you later, Mr. Meade. Thank you for today. The photo shoot was amazing. Brooke looked so beautiful." said Jordan appreciatively. There was something here that left Daniel feeling very unsettled.

Daniel nodded, as he tried to assess what had just happened.

"So…where's Betty?" Daniel asked curiously.

"What do you mean? You don't know," Dean said sarcastically. "You seem to know more about my wife than me. After all, you seem to be the expert on all things Betty Suarez."

"I just hadn't seen her since she left half way through the photo shoot." Daniel didn't even realize she left until Jordan told him that Betty had taken a cab back to the hotel. When he asked why, she didn't know why. Daniel's guess was that she wanted to get away from Dean.

"She's upstairs. She has a headache or some crap like that," Dean had clearly been drinking for quite some time. Daniel was starting to questioning himself about whether trying to have a conversation with him at this point was the best thing. "Just an excuse to keep me away. I'm sure that you could go up there. She would be happy to see you. She's always happy to see you."

Daniel took a deep breath and looked over Dean, as he ordered another drink. "Do you really think that you need another drink?"

"Don't tell me what I need?" Dean scoffed.

"Is everything okay with you and Betty?" Daniel asked cautiously. "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

"Daniel, I think you have helped enough. I thought you were my friend." Dean snapped.

"I am your friend."

"Really…then stay away from my wife." Dean said without missing a beat. There was bitterness and harshness in his voice that was unmistakable.

"What are you talking about?" Daniel said.

Dean turned to Daniel. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Staying locked up in the office together all the time. What have the two of you doing in there together?"

"Betty and I aren't doing anything. We work together." Daniel was not about to give Dean anything else to speculate on. It was true. He and Betty did lock the door when they needed privacy but it wasn't to do anything wrong. "I'm married to Brooke. I love my wife."

He added. "Betty is married to you and she loves you. We wouldn't do anything to mess that up. How could you ever think that?"

Dean started laughing. "Well, I asked her to leave the magazine. She refused to."

"Betty's career is important to her," said Daniel. "You knew that when the two of you met. You told me once that was one of the things that you loved about her."

"Well, I guess things started to look a little differently." Dean shook his head. "Maybe, I saw that her job at SPARK was about more than just putting out a magazine. She's only there because she wants to be with you."

"That's crazy, Dean. Betty and I are friends and we've worked together for years."

Dean slid down from the stool. "What a lie that is? You don't even see it. Everyone else does."

"See what?" Daniel had no idea what to make of Dean's drunken slurs.

"You are in love with my wife." Dean said harshly. "I knew it from the beginning and I ignored it….because she told me that you were just friends."

"Of course, I love Betty. She's my best friend."

"No…that's not what I mean. I mean, you are in love with her," said Dean. "I'm not talking platonic love. I'm talking about love…love…love."

"That's crazy." Daniel shook his head.

"The two of you share secrets. She tells you everything. You probably even buy her tampons," said Dean.

"Well, yeah…but…." Daniel said softly. "Big deal….she used to buy my condoms when she was my assistant. We just know each other."

"You give her gifts…expensive jewelry, flowers, designer clothes," said Dean.

"You told me…."

"That it was okay…well, it didn't really matter what I said. You were going to do it anyway. I just hope that you were getting some sex out of it," said Dean.

"I'm not sleeping with Betty." Daniel said adamantly. Though, he couldn't say that it had never crossed his mind. But that was before she married Dean and before he married Brooke. He and Betty weren't meant to be together like that.

"I don't believe you. After all, your driver was spotted buying a pregnancy test the morning of the MAMA awards," said Dean. "She didn't even tell me that she thought she might be pregnant. Why would she hide something like that if there wasn't a possibility that you could be the father?"

"Betty has always been faithful to you. You are so lucky to be married to an amazing woman like her." Daniel was really getting angry now.

"God know that she's hot for you." Dean smirked. "It wouldn't surprise me."

It was clear that Dean didn't believe Daniel's denials that nothing had been going on between him and Betty. He seemed to have already made up his mind. Still, he had to keep trying to get through to Dean.

"Just stop right now." Daniel ordered. "Betty and I are not having an affair. I am just concerned about her happiness."

"Oh…Don't worry, Danny boy." Dean gave him a pat on the shoulder. "You don't have to worry about that because I know exactly how to handle this."

Dean continued. "It stops here. I'm telling you right now that I really don't care what Betty wants or doesn't want. As soon we get back from this little trip, she is leaving SPARK and you behind."

Daniel felt sick, as he tried to even consider a future at SPARK with Betty. "And what if she doesn't agree?"

"She will, if she wants to continue in this marriage." Dean threw a few bills on the bar.

"You need to stop this. You have no reason to be jealous. Betty loves her career," said Daniel.

"She's my wife and soon the mother of my child. I can do whatever I want. I'll tell you what though. I'll give Betty a few more happy days with her best friend. Then, it's over."

Dean added. "And just for the record, this conversation never happened. If you say a word about it to Betty, you'll regret it."

As Daniel watched Dean walk away, he was overcome with a bad feeling. Daniel now regretted introducing Betty to Dean. The guy that Daniel saw right now was not someone that deserved the love of Betty at all. He was cold and ugly. Everything that Betty wasn't.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback and comments. I appreciate them._

**Chapter Six**

Betty had always dreamt of going to Hawaii on a romantic getaway with the man that she loved. Now that she was finally here with her husband, the only thing she wanted to do was crawl into bed and stay there with Dean, as far away as possible.

He was being irrational and uncaring. He was still pressuring her to leave SPARK Magazine, even though they had come to an agreement the night of the MAMA Awards. It seemed that all he was doing was pacifying her for the moment to get his way with her when they got home.

In the days that followed, he started acting strangely. He even made a date with her and then didn't show up. Fifteen minutes after she arrived at the restaurant, she got a text from Jordan telling her that Dean wasn't going to be able to make it for their lunch date.

Still, Betty thought that this trip would turn things around. She was still hopeful that could happen. Right now though, she just felt bad that she was sicker than she ever had been in her life.

She missed everything that Daniel had planned for their trip. She tried her best to power through and take part in the excitement of Brooke's photo shoot, instead of leaving half way the shoot. What Betty wouldn't do to see the pride in Daniel's eyes, as he watched his gorgeous wife do the job that she loved? If only Dean were like that, things would be okay.

Instead of hanging out with everyone else, she got in a cab, came directly back to the hotel and crawled into bed. The only time she had seen anyone was late in the afternoon when Dean came back in from the shoot and tried to have sex with her. She sent him away, empty handed. She was too nauseous to deal with him and his insatiable need for physical contact. He was clear wasn't happy with her refusal of his advances. He didn't seem to care that she wasn't well.

His only reply was that he would be down in the bar. He didn't even care that she couldn't even more from the bed or that she had thrown up in the trash can, beside the bed.

The only upside was that she could stare out the window and see the ocean. Other than that, she felt like she was in hell. Betty just hoped that this would pass so that she could find some enjoyment in their getaway in paradise.

On her nightstand, she heard her phone buzz, vibrating against the surface. She reluctantly reached over and grabbed it.

"Can you meet me?" It was from Daniel. She felt relieved that it wasn't Dean. She really didn't want to deal with him right now. He could jump in a volcano for all she cared.

"No." She typed. "Come 2 me."

"Is Dean there?" He replied back.

"No."

_Why would Daniel ask something like that Betty wondered? _

It was odd but at this point, she didn't care either. After placing her phone back on the night stand, Betty managed to pull herself up out of bed and put on the white robe. By time she did all this, she heard a knock on the door.

She managed pull herself out of bed and put on the white robe. By the time, she managed to gather the energy to do all this. She heard a knock at the door. Betty opened the door, grabbing onto it for support. It had taken almost every bit of energy to make the journey from the bed to the door. She was beginning to wonder if she would make it back to the bed before her legs gave out from beneath her.

"Oh…Betty." He moved forward swiftly. With one hand, he grabbed ahold of her, while he closed the door with the other. His voice was filled with fear and concern. "Sweetie, you look terrible."

"I feel terrible." She held onto him, as she felt the room begin to spin. "Can you help me back to bed? I think I need to lie back down."

Before she could move forward with him, she found herself fading, followed by the sensation of Daniel scooping her up off her feet and carrying her into the bedroom, where he laid her down gently on the bed.

Betty opened her eyes slightly when Daniel came to rest of the side of the bed. He placed his hand on her forehead. His expression filled with concern for her.

"I think you have a fever." He pulled his hand away. "Where is Dean?"

"I don't know." Betty whispered weakly, unable to look at Daniel. "He hasn't been back since this afternoon. He's probably still down at bar."

For a moment, Daniel just stared at her, pulling away a strand of her hair away from her face. He looked like there was something that he wanted to say. His focus was on her completely.

"Daniel…"

His trace seemed to be broke, as she pulled him away from his thoughts. "Ah…yeah. I saw him there earlier. But wait…he actually left you like this alone. That's not acceptable. He should be here taking care of you."

Betty could understand Daniel's annoyance with Dean's behavior. She knew that anything she might say though would only make things worse right now.

"I'm calling someone." Daniel pulled his phone from his pocket.

"Daniel, I'll be fine." She turned her head and reached for his hand to get him to stop. "I just need to get some rest. I'll be fine in the morning. You should go have dinner with everyone. Brooke is probably waiting for you. You deserve to spend some time with her." Betty closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She just wanted to sleep. "I just want you to be happy, Daniel."

"You are not fine and I'm not leaving you alone," said Daniel.

"I just need some sleep." She repeated.

"There is no one that could get rid of me, not even Dean. If he won't take care of you, I will," said Daniel. "If you won't let me call anyone, I'm taking you back to my suite. We have two bedrooms."

"Daniel, I just want to stay right here," said Betty. "I don't want to impose on you and Brooke's time together. And Dean…"

"Brooke wouldn't want me to leave you alone in this condition. And Dean will just have to deal with it. When he wants to care for you, he can have you back."

Betty knew better than to argue with Daniel. She knew he was only looking out for her, just like he always did.

"Okay." She nodded and let out a sigh. She was really too tired and weak to fight him.

Once she agreed, Daniel moved quickly. He packed up a few things for her. He called for a wheelchair to take her down the hall and before Betty knew it. He was getting her settled into one of the bedrooms of his suite..

As he helped her from the wheelchair and into bed, Brooke appeared in the door way, dressed for dinner.

"What's going on?" Brooke asked. Her arms crossed made it clear that she wasn't happy about what was going on.

"Betty is going to be staying with us." Daniel pulled the covers over her. Betty was starting to wonder if this was a good idea. Brooke didn't seem to like her being there and Betty couldn't really blame her.

"Daniel, I need to talk to you in the other room." Brooke turned on her heel and left the door way.

"I can go back to my room. I don't want to get you in trouble," said Betty.

"Betty, you are in no condition to be left alone. I'll talk to her," said Daniel. "You just rest. I'll be right back. Okay?"

"Okay." Betty rested against the pillow..

Daniel closed the door a bit, as he left. Betty tried not to listen to the conversation that was going on but it was futile.

"What the hell is she doing in our room? She has her own room." Brooke said viciously.

"Keep your voice down." Daniel asked calmly. "Betty didn't need to be alone. She is sick and Dean just left her like this."

"That's not our problem. I put up with your little friendship with her. I've held my tongue for long enough. This is crossing the line," said Brooke.

"Brooke, I love you. You know that," said Daniel affectionately. "I can understand you being upset but I can't turn my back on someone who needs help, especially Betty. She has always helped me when I needed it."

"You two are way too close," said Brooke.

Betty knew that she couldn't allow Daniel to ruin his marriage over her. She threw back the covers and started to rise from the bed. As she got to her feet, she felt a shearing pain through her abdomen and her legs gave out beneath her and she fell to the floor.

Within moments, the door flew opened and she saw Daniel rush to her side. Brooke stood there in the doorway with a stunned look on her face.

"Betty, what happened? Why did you try to get out of bed?" He lowered his head, so he could see her face. Betty couldn't answer though. "Are you okay?" His hand petted her head, as she closed her eyes.

The only thing she heard was Daniel's desperate cry to Brooke to call 911.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback and comments. I appreciate them. This chapter is emotional as we find out what is wrong with Betty. _

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Daniel wished that he would have gone with his first instincts earlier and called for a doctor, despite Betty's refusals. Now, he had his best friend cradled in his arms on the floor of his hotel suite, while he waited for the paramedics to arrive.

Brooke stood over them, waiting. "Daniel, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Now is not the time. Just go find Dean, please." Daniel said impatiently. He didn't mean to be cold to Brooke but right now, the only thing he cared about was Betty's well-being.

He had no time to deal with Brooke or Dean's jealousy, not when Betty's life could be hanging in the balance. "Also have Jordan call Betty's family and then get her to help you, if you can't find him."

After Brooke left the room without another word, Daniel waited with Betty. Seeing her in this state of distress was almost more than Daniel could take. He knew that Betty needed him to be strong though.

The next few minutes felt like hours. Then, the room was overtaken by medical staff, rushing to put Betty on a stretcher. The entire time he watched them from the sidelines, as they asked him questions that he didn't have the answers to.

Daniel wondered if Dean would even know that answers. Probably not.

After all, he didn't care enough when it came to Betty's opinion about children. Dean didn't care enough to want to take care of her when she was sick. Instead, he left her and went to the bar to flirt with Jordan and get drunk.

Just that thought alone filled Daniel with more rage than he had ever felt for another human being. If anything happened to Betty, Dean would pay. And if Daniel had anything to do with it, he would keep Betty as far away from Dean as possible.

Ultimately, Daniel knew that wasn't up to him. Betty was married to him. If….no…when she pulled through this, he and Betty was going to have a serious conversation about her future and this unhealthy relationship that she was in.

By the time, the paramedics took Betty downstairs and go her loaded into the ambulance. She was awake and able to give her permission to allow him to stay by her side. After all, Brooke still had not returned with Dean.

What could be holding them up?

All Daniel knew was that there was no way that he could wait. He had to get to the hospital. He sent a text to Brooke and told her that he was going. Someone needed to be with Betty.

The ride to the hospital was the longest ride of Daniel's life. His eyes were fixed on her the whole time, praying that she would make it through this, as she faded in and out of consciousness.

Upon their arrival at the hospital, he was asked to wait in the waiting room, while she was examined and they could find what was going on. He was grateful when the nurse came to get him and took him back to Betty.

There he found a teary eyed Betty, lying there on bed on the bed in the emergency room.

"Hey…" Daniel leaned in.

"I'm pregnant, Daniel. Or I was…" She cried.

"What? But the test…" Daniel remembered seeing the negative result, just last week. "How can that be?" There were a million questions in his head right now.

"We need to get her ready for surgery now," said the nurse that appeared beside Daniel. Daniel could sense their urgency in the nurse's tone. Though, he didn't completely understand the rush.

"Can you give us a minute?" Betty asked, weakly. The nurse nodded and left.

"My fallopian tube ruptured and they are going to have to take it." Betty tried to explain. "I…" Her voice was weak.

The look on her face, the sound of her voice and the word rupture was all Daniel needed. He knew that he didn't want her to waste her breath trying to explain anything right now. If she needed surgery, he didn't want to delay that.

"Betty, it's okay. You don't have to explain everything right now. Let's just get you into surgery. I'm sure Dean is on the way. I'll let him know everything when he gets here."

"It doesn't matter. I just want you here when I get out. That's what I need." Betty said tearfully. "I can always count on you. I love you so much, Daniel."

"I love you too." Daniel leaned forward and gave her a kiss in the forehead. Seconds later, Daniel watched as they took her away to surgery. "I'll be here. I promise."

A few minutes later, he watched Betty disappear through the doors at the end of the hallway. Then nurse gave him the rundown of the situation and how serious it was. She explained to him that Betty had been about six weeks pregnant. The ectopic pregnancy meant that the baby had implanted itself in the Betty's fallopian tube, instead of making the journey to the uterus and that her condition was life threatening unless she was treated.

After they gave him all the information, Daniel couldn't help but feel completely numb. Betty had been pregnant. And now she wasn't.

He had always imagined that when Betty was pregnant. It would be a happy thing. Right now, it wasn't that. It was something that could have killed her and that terrified Daniel more than anything.

Hours later, Betty made it out of surgery with no other complications and just as promised, he was there when she woke up from the anesthesia. By the time, she was settled into her room. It was very late and though he was exhausted. There was no way that he was going to leave her side. He didn't care that he had a warm bed waiting for him back at the hotel. He would sleep in the chair beside her bed.

That was more than he could say for Dean, who had only made a brief appearance at the hospital. He only stayed long enough to find out her condition. He didn't even care seem to care when Daniel called him to tell him that Betty had gotten out of surgery.

"Daniel, you need to go get some sleep." Betty opened her sleepy eyes.

Daniel smiled and leaned forward. "I would rather watch you sleep, beautiful."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Meade." She smiled and it made Daniel's heart flutter, just a bit. "But I know that you are full of crap."

"What?" Daniel chuckled.

"I feel like hell. I look like hell." Betty turned her head towards him.

"I'll have Jordan bring some of your things over in the morning," said Daniel. "I think they are going to keep you a few days."

"Why don't you go get some sleep at the hotel and then you can bring them to me?" Betty said playfully.

"I think you just want to get rid of me," said Daniel.

"I never want to get rid of you," said Betty. "I like having you around too much and you seem to be a lot more useful than Dean."

"Yeah." Daniel agreed. "Betty, I can't tell you what to do but I just want you to know that I'm behind you, no matter what."

"I know that. I really don't know what I'm going to do about Dean right now. I just know that I don't think he was the man I thought he was," said Betty solemnly. "It's just too much to think about. I just don't think I can be with him anymore."

Daniel reached over and took her hand. "Just let me know what you want me to do and I will."

"Well, go get some sleep. I'm sure that Brooke isn't happy that you've been here with me all this time," said Betty. "I don't want her to hate me."

"She doesn't hate you. I'll talk to her. Honestly, I really do think she feels bad for being jealous," said Daniel. "I really don't know what got into her."

"Well, I don't want to mess up your marriage. Mine was a disaster. I don't want that for you," said Betty sincerely. "Your happiness is important to me."

Daniel nodded simply. He knew that she wanted him to be happy as much as he wanted her to be happy. "I'll always be here for you."

"I know… I know. Now go sleep. Otherwise, I'll never get any sleep." Betty gave a subtle smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." Daniel got up from the uncomfortable chair that he was ready to spend the night in and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm counting on it." Betty lifted her eyes to meet his.

Reluctantly, Daniel made his way back to the hotel. It was nearly 5:00 in the morning when he drug himself through the door of his suite. He just wanted slip into bed and get some much-needed sleep. His talk with Brooke about his friendship with Betty would have to wait until the morning.

As he neared the door of the master suite, he could hear sounds coming from the other side. Perhaps, Brooke was awake, watching television and waiting for him to he opened the door, Daniel got more than he bargained for.

In fact, he was no longer tired at all. He was now wide awake, as he took in the sight of his wife and Dean in bed together.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback and comments. I appreciate them._

**Chapter Nine**

It was late morning when Betty opened her eyes to find her room filled with a variety of flower arrangements and a bouquet of balloons over in the corner. She turned to her bedside table to find a huge colorful arrangement. She reached over and pulled the card out.

She slowly opened the envelope and slid out the card.

"To Betty, With all my love -Daniel."

Betty smiled affectionately, looking at the simple but heartfelt note. Betty was overcome with gratitude for her best friend. She knew that she owned him so much that there was no way that she could ever repay him for what he did for her. She would try though. Without him, she probably wouldn't be here right now.

She placed the card back into the arrangement and grabbed the stuffed white bunny that was nestled beside the enormous arrangement. Betty held it on her lap and stroked the super soft furry animal. Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps.

She looked up, hoping that Daniel was back, rested and ready for a really long visit. She was getting bored, alone with nothing to do and nothing to watch on television.

Instead, she saw Dean standing there with a smug look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Betty said plainly. She stared back down at the bunny that she held in her hands.

"I came to see you before I left for the airport."

Betty looked back up and noticed that Dean was sporting a serious looking black eye. Her instincts told her that it was likely that Daniel had something to do with it. She didn't ask though. Whatever happened, Dean deserved it, especially after he deserted her in her time of need.

"You wasted a trip. I don't want to see you," said Betty. "So…if you are here to try to kiss and make up, you can forget it."

Dean chuckled viciously. "Yeah…like that would happen. I think we both know that this married was really over before we even got started."

"I tried to make you happy." Betty said solemnly. It was the truth. She did her best to compromise with him but it was clear now that the only way was Dean's way. "I wanted to make you happy."

"Don't you mean that you did whatever you could to make Daniel happy? From the beginning, there were three people in this marriage. You and me…and Daniel."

"I tried to compromise with you about a family. I would have given you that but you wouldn't let me have my career too."

"You can have whatever you want now. As far as family, you are pretty useless to me now," said Dean.

"I'm not useless." Betty snapped back.

"You lost our baby." Dean moved forward. "You couldn't even do that right. Or maybe, you didn't want it."

"How can you say that? Of course, I wanted it….maybe, the timing could have been different but there is nothing I could have done differently to change what happened." Betty's tears began to flow.

"You have to be relieved though."

"What? Why would I be relieved to have something so horrible happen?"

"Because of Daniel."

"What about Daniel?" Betty wiped the tears that ran down her cheek.

"Well, you probably think that now that you and I are through…and there isn't a baby, you can find a way to get what you've always wanted," said Dean.

"Daniel and I are friends." She lowered her eyes, unable to look at Dean.

"Do you really think that Daniel is going to leave his wife for you?" Dean laughed viciously before he continued. "Look at her. She's way hotter than you. She's smarter than you. She's way more successful than you. Still, she would probably be more than happy to give up her career for Daniel and have a family."

Betty wished that Dean would just go away. With every second, his voice was getting more annoying.

"Do you think that he would actually leave his wife for you? You might not be able to give him a child." Dean seemed pleased with himself, as he continued to torment her with his words.

"They didn't say that it was impossible." Betty whispered. "It would…." Betty stopped herself. She realized that she didn't have to tell him anything or even justify what her relationship with Daniel was or wasn't.

Betty loved Daniel but she would never put Daniel in the awkward position of asking him to leave his wife for her. That would be wrong. If Daniel wanted to be with Brooke, then that was the way it would be. Betty would not get in the way of Daniel's happiness.

"Well..."

"I don't have anything else to say," said Betty.

"I get it. You are probably just having a hard time handling the fact that Daniel would rather have sex with a supermodel than you." Dean was enjoying every minute of this.

"Please leave…"

"I will. After all, I do have a flight to catch back to New York. I'll have your things delivered to your father's house when I get back."

"Fine." Betty said softly. She pulled her eyes away from him. The sight of him sickened her.

"Oh…and one more thing about your precious Daniel. You might want to know that he's been sleeping with your assistant too."

"You are lying." Betty knew that Daniel wouldn't do that and nothing that Dean could say would convince her that Daniel would cheat on his wife.

"I saw him coming out of her room earlier," said Dean.

"Daniel wouldn't do that."

"Come on. Brooke is out of town a lot. A man gets lonely. He had to turn to someone. Just proof that Daniel Meade will never be able to get passed you being his awkward brace-faced assistant."

Enough was enough. She had reached her limit.

"Get out." Betty pointed at the door. "Get out before I call security."

"I suggest that you do what she is asking." Daniel appeared in the doorway behind Dean. Her voice was unwavering and filled with hatred. "Personally, I'd like to skip security and just kick you out myself."

Daniel moved into the room and past Dean, to her bedside. He placed two cups of coffee and a bag on the tray beside her bed. By now, Betty was sobbing uncontrollably. The small rabbit was clutched to her chest as she turned away from the drama that was going on in her room.

Within minutes, Dean was gone. Daniel rushed over to her bedside, leaning in over her. "What did he say to you?" Daniel's voice was much gentler now, instantly setting her at ease.

"What didn't he say?" Betty lifted her eyes to meet Daniel's.

"What did he say?" Daniel repeated.

Betty really didn't want to get into everything that he said about how Daniel would never want to be with her. She knew it was better not to cross that line. After all, Daniel was a happily married man. "He said that he saw you coming out of Jordan's room this morning. He said that he suspected that you were sleeping with her behind Brooke's back."

"He's just unbelievable." Daniel shook his head slightly. "Betty, I would never…"

"I know that, Daniel. You don't have to tell me that. He's just trying to find ways to make you look bad and make me doubt you. The one thing he seems to have forgotten is that I know that you would never do that."

"Thanks for having faith in me, Betty."

"I can't believe that I actually married a man like that. He's horrible." Betty felt like a failure. Would she really ever find a man that loved her? Would she ever find her Daniel?

"I'm not going to let him hurt you." He petted her hair and kissed her on the forehead, and then brought his eyes back to her. "I promise you that." His thumb brushed away some stray tears.

"Thank you." She nodded.

"Other than that idiot invading your room, how are you feeling today?"

"Better now that you're here. Is that coffee…and something sweet?"

"Yes of course. I got you decaf and the closest thing that I could find to your favorite from back home," said Daniel.

"Decaf?" She sat up and took the cup from him.

"What? I know what caffeine does to you. And as entertaining as it might see you buzz around the room, you still need to get your rest." Daniel said as he moved the tray closer and took two pastries out of the bag.

"True." Betty smiled and took a small sip of hot coffee.

"On the way in here, the nurse told me that, they think that you might be able to get to go home tomorrow." He pulled up the chair to her bedside. "It will probably be about a week before you can travel though."

Daniel continued. "I've booked a suite for us to stay in while you are recuperating."

"Daniel, you don't have to stay with me. I can manage."

"That's not even up for negotiations, Betty. I'm not leaving you here alone," said Daniel.

"Jordan could stay with me." Betty suggested. "You really need to spend some time with Brooke"

"Uh…Brooke is leaving for New York this afternoon as soon as her shoot is done," said Daniel.

"I thought she was staying through the end of the week." Then again, they had all thought they were staying through the week, Betty thought.

"She has to get back. She has some paperwork to go over with her lawyer," said Daniel reluctantly.

"Uh…Dean is her lawyer." Betty didn't even want to think about him but it was hard not to. "You know I really think she should get a new lawyer. He's bound to screw her over, now that he and I are getting divorced."

"That's pretty much guaranteed." Daniel leaned back in his chair.

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	9. Chapter 9

**Two of a Kind **

_Author's Note: Thank you for the comments. I appreciate them. _

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

As Daniel listened to Marc go over his messages and the details of upcoming photo shoot, he stared out the window and watched Betty sitting out on the balcony of their suite alone, watching the sunset. He was dying to get off this phone call so that he could join her. After all, there were things they needed to talk about.

Things that he had not wanted to burden her with in the days following her surgery. Now, she was out of the hospital and on the road to recovery. Even though, he knew wasn't sure how much she could handle right now, he knew that it was time to tell her the truth about what happened when he came back to the hotel that night.

Even if he just gave her the basic facts. He couldn't hide it any longer. Whatever happened, Daniel was committed to helping her heal.

"Marc, don't make any decisions without consulting me? SPARK is not MODE. You are just overseeing everything until Betty and I are able to return to New York. Jordan will be there first thing in the morning to help you."

"So…renaming SPARK…..Marc Magazine is out of the question."

"Yes." Daniel said unwaveringly. "That is out of the question."

"What about that hideous poncho on the wall? Can I take that down?"

"Touch that and I'll make sure that you bumped down from creative director to assistant." Daniel threatened.

"Fine…I get it. Anyway, how is Betty doing?" Marc asked.

"She's doing as well as you can expect her to be. Everything is starting to hit her now…about what happened and what could have happened." Not that Daniel hadn't thought about what could happen, he had. A life without Betty was too hard to imagine.

Daniel felt his heart ache, as he looked through the glass to see Betty outside, gazing out at the ocean. She looked so beautiful right now. He hated knowing that soon he was going to have to give her the truth about Dean's affair…or affairs. Daniel was suspecting that there might have been more than one woman who Dean had been involved with.

"And then there is everything with Dean. It's just a lot of her to handle right now." Daniel sighed.

"Speaking of that snake, I think you should know that Brooke and Dean were spotted having dinner last night ."

Daniel groaned. "They are unbelievable."

"So…the press is all over it. In fact, an unnamed source came forward and said that divorce was in the works for both you and Betty…because the two of you have been having an affair."

"What?" Daniel knew immediately that Dean had something to do with that unnamed source.

"Yeah…and that's not all." Marc said hesitantly. "They are also saying that the baby that Betty was carrying was yours."

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. "Dean is such as ass. Of course, he would try to make himself look like the innocent one here."

"You might want to prepare Betty for that." Marc warned Daniel.

"I will."

"You haven't told her yet," said Marc. "Have you?"

"No. I will. I'm going to do it tonight. I mean…I haven't even told her about me and Brooke yet. I just can't bring myself to do it. I know Betty, she will find some way to blame herself for that."

"It's not her fault that Dean is a good for nothing slimy and is incapable of keeping his pants zipped." Marc said plainly.

"I know that and you know that, I'm just trying to be sensitive to the fact that Betty, even though she hates him right now, she was also married to him and I know that she did love him," said Daniel.

"How do you know?"

"Betty wouldn't marry someone who she didn't love. She was willing to do whatever she had to do to make that relationship work." Daniel lifted his eyes to see Betty sit down on the love set outside on the patio. The expression on her face told him that she was tired and was overdoing it.

"Well, perhaps that true. She could have thought she loved him. Maybe, she was settling because she thought she couldn't have the one that she really loved."

"Marc…"

"Well, the two of you have been luuvahs for years. It's a possibility that Little Miss Rainbow Brite had feelings for you all along….and everything that's happened could have been avoided, if you would have listened to me and Tyler an stopped her from making the biggest mistake of her life."

"I don't want to talk about that." Daniel recalled the drunken confession three days before Betty's wedding. It was a conversation that Daniel had made them promise to never bring up again. "I told you to forget that I said that."

At this point, it didn't do anyone any good to mull over the things that he should or shouldn't have done. There was nothing that could change the past. All they could do was deal with the circumstances of the present.

"Daniel, confession or not, anyone that is close to Betty and you knows that the two of you love each other. Perhaps, both of your relationships were doomed from the start because the two of you were always meant to be together."

"Marc, I have to go. Betty is calling for me." Daniel knew it was a lie. Betty was sitting peacefully outside at the moment.

Daniel didn't need Marc telling him that the only reason that he married Brooke was because Betty was married to Dean and he didn't want to be alone. The truth was that he loved Betty but he had also loved Brooke and he had tried to make her happy. He strived to be the best husband that he could be to her, when they were together.

In the end, it wasn't enough though. Regardless of his feeling for Betty, he was still mourning the end of his marriage, just like Betty was mourning the end of hers.

The only thing that was getting Daniel through it was his focus on getting Betty through it. His pain was secondary to hers right now. She was the one that was also mourning something else that was far more painful.

"Okay. Okay. I'll back off for now and let the two of you sort this out, Daniel."

"Thank you again for helping out….but if you hear anything else about Dean and Brooke or have any questions about the magazine, please call."

"Okay. No problem." With that, Marc ended the phone call.

As soon as Daniel hung up, he ordered room service for him and Betty. He knew that she wasn't going to feel up to going out again. They had tried that last night because Betty was dying to do something, besides seeing the inside of a hotel room or hospital room. It really took its toll on Betty, both physically and emotionally.

After the much-needed conversation he planned, he knew that it was probably going to be a good night for them to stay in. Once he had ordered their dinner, he placed the phone down on the bar and made his way out to patio to be with Betty.

"I ordered room service." Daniel sat down beside her. "I figured that you wouldn't want to go out tonight."

"Thanks." Betty said solemnly.

"You okay?"

Betty gave him a hesitant glance, as he slid his arm around her and pulled her closer. Her eyes didn't meet his.

"Betty…"

"Daniel…" She cut in. "I think that I should get another room."

"Why? This place is big enough for both of us. I love being able to take care of you." Daniel said sincerely. "And being there for you."

"At what cost though?" Betty's voice shook, as he could see she was fighting the tears. "I just know that Brooke has to be furious that you are here with me. I remember the tone of her voice before I passed out. It was clear that she didn't want me in your room then. I can't imagine what is going through her mind now that Dean and I are getting divorced."

She continued. "And you haven't talked about her and I can tell when you are hiding something from me."

"Betty, there is something that I need to tell you." Daniel realized that he probably should have told her what was going on sooner.

"Brooke is upset, isn't she?" A tear ran down Betty's cheek. Daniel reached up and captured it with his finger.

"Honestly, I don't care what she thinks." Daniel said honestly.

"How can you say that? Listen…that's what I mean; you can't throw away your marriage for me. I have to put my foot down." She took a deep breath and looked in his eyes. "I love you Daniel and the best friend that I've ever had. You've done so much for me."

"Betty…"

"Let me finish, Daniel. You saved my life and now need to keep you from ruining yours. You can't always be trying to be my knight in shining armor. You need to concentrate on your wife."

"Betty, I'm not going to do that."

"Daniel, you need to be reasonable. I know that you care about me but Brooke is your wife. She has to come first."

"It's over, Betty."

"What? What's over?" Betty was obviously confused.

"My marriage."

"Daniel, did she give you an ultimatum?"

"No…" Daniel reached for Betty's hand. "She was having an affair."

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	10. Chapter 10

**Two of A Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for your comments and feedback. I appreciate it._

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Betty saw the heartbreak in Daniel's eyes. The pain that she saw there made her own heart ache, more than it already was. A million questions began to swirl in Betty's head but she knew that she had to proceed carefully because she didn't want to cause him anymore pain.

If anything, she wanted to take away his pain and be the rock he needed. After everything, he had done for her. It was the least she could do.

"Oh…Daniel." She held his hand in hers. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm very sure." He said unwaveringly.

"Did she tell you? Did someone else tell you? Maybe, there's been a mistake."

"No. She didn't tell me. No one else told me either. I actually caught her." Daniel's eyes couldn't meet hers. "I caught her with….uh…another man in our suite when I came back from the hospital."

"Caught them, as in?"

"Having sex." Daniel said bluntly. "There was no mistaking what was happening. She was on top of him."

Betty couldn't even imagine what went through Daniel's mind at the moment of the discovery. She and Dean had their problems. Betty was relieved that infidelity was not one of them.

"That must have been horrible for you, Daniel."

"Yeah." He nodded.

"I guess it makes sense why you didn't want to stay in that room where it happened," said Betty. "But…I don't understand, Daniel. Why didn't you say anything to me? That was a few days ago now."

"Betty, this is the last thing that you need to deal with right now. Between Dean…and the loss of the baby, I didn't want to burden you with this." Daniel gazed over at her. "I guess…I wanted to protect you from it."

"Why would you be protecting me from it?" Betty asked curiously. "I want to be there for you. You are always there for me."

"I don't want you to have to deal with this." Daniel pulled his arms around her.

"You can't always protect me from everything. If something causes you pain, it causes me pain too," said Betty sincerely.

"And that's why I didn't want you to have to deal with this, Betty. I know how you are," said Daniel.

"How am I?"

"You want to fix everything, Betty. There is no fixing this."

"Are you sure? Maybe, you guys should have some couples counseling."

"Couples counseling isn't going to fix this." Daniel said harshly. "I'm fine." He got up and walked further out onto the patio. Betty watched him carefully. She could see that he was not okay. She could tell when he was keeping things bottled up. The only problem was that sooner or later, the results of his pinned up emotions resulted in him hurting himself more.

Betty got up from the loveseat and moved towards him slowly. She gently placed her hand on his arm as she came to his side. "Daniel, I don't believe you. I can tell you are in pain. Let me help you, please." She pleaded.

Daniel turned to her and pulled her into his arms and looked into her eyes. "Betty, my marriage is over. I'm okay with that."

"How can you be?"

Daniel looked in her eyes. "Because I just am."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah…Don't get me wrong. I did love Brooke but I'm starting to think that I was settling for something because…" Daniel stopped himself suddenly.

"Because of what?"

"It really doesn't matter. I don't want to get into it…right now." Daniel leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

"Daniel, please I want to help you."

He looked directly into her eyes. "Betty, I think the best thing you can do for me is to let me take care of you. Will you let me do that?" Daniel asked her.

"Of course." She said simply.

"Good because that's exactly what I want more than anything right now." Daniel's hand slid slowly down her bare arms. "That's what I need."

Betty nodded gently. "Okay."

"Why don't you go get ready for dinner? I'm sure that it will be here soon." Daniel released his hold on her. "I'll have them set up out here."

"Sounds great." Betty said, as she watched him retreat back into their suite.

X

After a delicious candle-lite dinner on the patio, Betty retreated to her room to prepare for bed. She hated to go to bed so early because she really wanted to spend more time with Daniel. She just couldn't. She was exhausted. Though, she did her best to hide that fact from Daniel throughout their dinner.

Just as she finished slipping on her nightgown, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. She didn't even need to ask who it was. She knew it was Daniel.

"Come in." She moved towards the bed.

"Did you take your medication?" Daniel asked, rattling the prescription bottle in his hand and held a bottle of water in the other.

"No." Betty came to rest on the edge of the bed. She glanced at his hand. His wedding band was gone. She had not put hers back on after her surgery. Betty didn't know why but it suddenly occurred to her that both of them were getting divorced.

"And why not?" Daniel placed the pill bottle on the night stand and then opened the water bottle, handing it to her.

"I was going to." Betty had to admit that she loved having Daniel take care of her. He was so attentive and caring.

Daniel removed her medication from the bottle and handed it to her. "Do I have to do everything for you?"

"You would like that." Betty said playfully, before she took her medication.

"How are your incisions? Do you need me to look at them?" Daniel asked eyes floated her abdomen.

"It's okay. I'm good." Betty smiled. "Thank you."

"Do you need anything else?" He asked.

"Yes. I want could you lay down with me and keep me company until I fall asleep….if you want too." Betty rose up and pulled back the comforter.

"Yeah…sure. Daniel said nervously. For a moment, he just stood there.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Betty giggled at his stunned state.

"Uh…no." Daniel moved quickly to the other side of the bed, as Betty turned off the light. Then, she turned on her side towards him, as she watched him, remove his shirt and strip down to his boxers in the dark. Soon, Daniel pulled back the covers and slid in beside her, keeping a respectable distance from her.

"So…are you sure that you this is what you want?" Betty said bluntly.

"Want what?"

"You know a divorce."

"Betty, I can't be married to someone that I don't trust. You know how I feel about infidelity," said Daniel. "We've only been married a very short time. It's better this way. I don't want to send her off on a trip and wonder who she's going to be with, while she's gone."

"I guess you have a point there. I really don't think that Dean would ever have done that but I will admit that there were times that I had to wonder."

"Well, maybe your instincts were right."

"Maybe. I guess it doesn't matter anymore." Betty took a deep breath.

"You deserve someone better than him. Trust me," said Daniel.

"Daniel, why do I feel like there is something that there is something that you aren't telling me about Dean? I know that the two of you hung out a lot. Did you see something?"

"Betty…"

"Did he cheat on me, Daniel?" She cut in. "Please tell me. I know I don't need you to protect me from what he might have done."

Daniel stared over at her, looking away slightly before returning his gaze to her. "Yes. He did."

"Do you know who?" Betty asked hesitantly.

"Unfortunately, I do. He and Brooke have been having an affair."

"What?" Betty was floored.

"I found them together the night you were in the hospital." Daniel's voice shook.

"Oh, Daniel." Betty instantly understood that this made it even more difficult for Daniel to witness. "Do you know how long it was going on?"

"Apparently, it started about a month after we were married. So…I guess about two months. She said something about running into him, when she went to Miami."

"So…you gave Dean the black eye for sleeping with Brooke?" Betty wished that she could have given Dean another black eye to match.

"Actually….that's not why I gave him a black eye." Daniel shook his head.

"Why did you?" Betty asked.

"Betty, it's not really important."

"Daniel, tell me." She reached over and laid her hand on his arm. "I can handle it."

Daniel lifted his eyes to hers. "He said that he wanted to take everything away from me and that he only married you because he knew that I was in love with you."

"You are in love with me?" Betty asked, even though the answer was obvious. Of course, he loved her…but in love with her, this was definitely a new development.

"I've been in love with you for a really long time." He admitted.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for all the feedback and comments. I appreciate it._

**Chapter Eleven**

There were a lot of things that Daniel regretted in his life. Loving Betty would never be one of them. However, keeping those feelings buried inside for so long would be his greatest. Last night, his confession hadn't been an easy one.

For one thing, it wasn't the way he had envisioned telling her. That night he had envisioned had passed long ago, the same night that Dean had waltzed in and swept Betty off her feet. By the time, Daniel even knew what was happening. All, Daniel had been able to do was smile and tell Betty that he was happy for her. The most important thing was her happiness. He could just take comfort in the fact that she was still part of his life at SPARK.

Then before he knew it, he was standing beside her as she married Dean. Through the wedding, he had to deal with Marc and Tyler's stares, trying to prod him into speaking up and stopping the wedding. He couldn't do that though. Looking back, Daniel knew he should have acted. This would be another one of Daniel's regrets.

After Betty was off on her honeymoon in Paris, he tried to bury himself in work and dabbled in his past life of women, booze and late night parties. Anything to try to deal with the pain of losing the woman that he loved and a relationship that never was.

Two days before Betty's return from her two-week honeymoon, Tyler hauled Daniel out of bar, drunk and rambling about how he had lost Betty forever. The next morning when he woke up on Tyler and Amanda's couch, he found both of them and Marc staring at him.

It was the beginning of an intervention to keep Daniel from destroying himself. They went on to tell him that Betty wouldn't be happy with this sudden downward spiral that he had chosen to take and that he had made the decision not to tell Betty about his true feelings and that he had chosen to let Betty go when she married Dean.

But if he loved her- _really loved __her_- he needed to move on and focus on being the best friend that he could be to her. So, that is what he did.

When Betty returned, he happily welcomed her back, as if he hadn't just experienced the worst two weeks of his life, thinking about her and Dean on their honeymoon. These thoughts did nothing but fill Daniel with jealousy and regret, so once again he was determined to find someone that he could love and that would love him in return.

And he thought he had found one in Brooke. When he met her, he was instantly drawn to her and her to him. It was a connection that landed them into bed on their second date and lead to a passionate whirlwind romance. Hindsight now told Daniel that passionate relationship had started to quickly fizzle once they returned from their honeymoon, she returned to her modeling career and he returned to SPARK.

Looking back though, he would be lying if he said that he didn't love Brooke at all. He did, despite her infidelity. Of course, he could see now that their love was doomed because his heart was already taken by his best friend all along.

Now, Betty knew the truth that he had always loved her. After he told her, he expected her to freak out. He was thankful when she didn't though. Instead, she let him to stay with her through the night, allowing him to simply hold her and they laid there in the silence, until they fell asleep.

With Betty in his arms, he knew that everything was going to be okay. He also wasn't foolish enough to believe that it would be easy and he was very sure that they had a lot of talking to do about his confession, his marriage, her marriage and the affair that their spouses had carried on. He was ready for it.

He was hopeful that things were back on track to going back the way that thing should have always been. However, Daniel also knew that rushing things would be a big mistake. There was no way that he wanted to taint anything that he and Betty might share now or possibly in the future, by stooping as low as their soon-to-be ex-spouses.

Of course, perhaps he had already done that by telling Betty that he loved her and sleeping in the same bed with her, even though nothing happened. Though, Daniel was hopeful. He also wondered whether he had screwed up by opening up to her last night. Should he have waited until they were both divorced and the wounds weren't so fresh?

When Daniel opened her eyes, he found Betty sitting on her side of the bed, dressed and smiling down at him. What a way to wake up in the morning?

"Time for you to wake up, sleepy head." Betty said sweetly.

"Hey." Daniel stretched out his arms as he took in how beautiful Betty looked this morning. "You're up bright and early?" He lowered her hand to rest on the bed. She reached forward and ran her fingers across his palm. An action that made his heart race with excitement.

"Yes. I have a follow-up appointment this morning. Did you want to go with me?" Betty asked shyly, peaking up at him. There was a hint of pink in her cheeks.

"Sure…yeah." He sat up in bed.

"You should also know that I talked to Dean this morning." Betty kept her hand focused on their hands that rested together.

"How did that go?" Daniel asked cautiously.

"I told him that I wanted a quick divorce. I don't want to drag this out any longer than we have to. I have no interest in being married to someone who only married me because of some personal vendetta against you."

"And what did he say?"

"He said that worked for him because Brooke wants the same thing from you," said Betty.

"I know. She told me." Daniel nodded.

"It seems they are blaming us on their affair. They said that we were unfaithful first." Betty said seriously.

She added. "Dean said that I might not have been physically unfaithful to him but emotionally, I was. Anyway, I told him that I didn't want anything. All I just want this all to be over so that we can move on with our lives."

She lifted her eyes to his and there he saw the answer about how she was feeling. In her eyes, he saw that she loved him too. Together, they would get through this.

"As soon as the doctor says that I can travel, Dean wants us to all go to the Dominican Republic and get divorced."

"Just like that." Daniel felt a sense of relief that it would be over sooner rather than later. This really did seem like the best option for all involved.

"Yep. Just like that." Betty took a deep breath and replied tearfully. "Like it never happened….everything will just go back the way it was." She took her eyes away from his, as she struggled to control her emotions.

Daniel wasted no time, taking Betty in his arms. "It'll be over soon." He rested his forehead against hers and looked into her wet brown eyes.

"But it'll never be the same though." She said softly.

"It will. It's just going to take time, sweetie." He lifted one of his hands up to pull away a strand of hair away from her face. He kissed the tip of her nose lightly.

"I'm so glad that I have you."

"I'm glad that I have you too, Betty." His heart pounded inside his chest and he was already sure that he could hear Betty's too.

"Why didn't you tell me that…you loved me?" He met her sorrowful eyes.

"I…I…thought that I was doing the right thing for you. You were so happy that I couldn't bring myself to ruin that for you. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you how I felt a long time ago. I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course, I forgive you. I love you, Daniel."

"Really…" Daniel filled with hope.

She nodded. "Yes. I know that it's probably horrible for me to admit that since I'm still technically married to Dean."

"You don't have to explain. I understand. Believe me, I've had this same conversation in my head over and over."

"I really did take my marriage seriously. I thought that I loved Dean…and maybe, I did a little. Maybe, he reminded me of you and that's why I was drawn to him. I really don't know."

"I guess we are on the same page then." Daniel grinned.

"Yeah." Betty nodded.

"So…what does this mean for us?" She asked curiously.

"I think that we have to get divorced first. I don't want us to rush into something just because our spouses couldn't control their desires. You mean more to me than that." Daniel said sincerely.

He added. "Once everything is finalized, we will just take it from there. How does that sound?"

"Good." Betty smiled shyly.

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	12. Chapter 12

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for your feedback and comments. I appreciate them. _

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

It was five days later when Betty was well enough to travel back to New York. In their last days in Hawaii, Betty couldn't help but feel encouraged about a possible future with her best friend.

Though they had mutually decided that it was best not to cross a certain line until after both of their divorces were final, there was still plenty of romance between them. It seemed that every touch, every embrace and even something as simple as holding Daniel's hand, suddenly had a new meaning.

There was no doubt in her mind that she was in love with Daniel. Perhaps, she always had been in love with him in one way or another. With every moment that she spent with Daniel, she knew more and more that what she shared with Dean, hadn't been love at all.

With Dean, it always seemed to be about what he wanted. How he wanted her to change to suit him? How she would have to fit into his life? With Daniel, he just fit perfectly. He didn't want to change her. He wanted to love her for exactly who she was.

And he had been there all along beside her, protecting her and loving her. Why had it taken her so long to see that Daniel was her perfect match?

"I'll see you first thing in the morning." Daniel stood before her in her old bedroom at her father's house. Her things had been delivered a few days earlier and were temporarily staked against the wall, until she could find a new apartment when she returned from their quick trip to the Dominican Republic.

Betty looked up at him and nodded, as he held her close. "Okay. I'll stop by the office in the morning to make sure that Marc hasn't taken over the office. Then, I'll meet you at your place."

"I wish you could come home with me tonight. I'm going to miss having you stealing all the covers." Daniel said playfully. "Are you sure that you can't?"

"I really need to get some rest and pack our flight in the morning." Betty wrapped her arms around his neck. "Believe me there is nowhere else I would rather be than listening to you snore."

"I don't snore."

"How would you know? You are sleeping." Betty giggled.

"I think you need to come home with me." Daniel said. "So you can wake me up when I do…so that I'll know for sure. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I'll get no sleep without you beside me now."

"Daniel, we can't. We agreed that it was better that we keep our distance. It's bad enough the paparazzi's are already speculating about us."

"Yet, I'm alone with you in your old bedroom," said Daniel. "They already know we were together in Hawaii. They know that Brooke and Dean have been seen together. Maybe, we shouldn't hide it anymore."

"It's that wise. I mean, Brooke and Dean don't even really know that we are together. Not that we really are together…officially."

"We will be, Betty. In less than 48 hours, we will be free to be together for the rest of our lives." Daniel's eyes were filled with the same happiness and hope that she felt inside.

Though, they weren't together. They knew that they might as well be. They had already talked about the future. She had even talked to Daniel about her concerns of being able to have children the future and her fears about what happened to her. The last thing she wanted to do was get in Daniel's way of having the family that he always wanted.

Betty knew that she would never forget the moment when Daniel was able to make all her fears go away by telling her that one way or another; someday they would have a family together. And Betty believed him when he said that.

"We just need to be patient, Daniel. I know that you are used to having what you want right now. This is one time that you really need to be patient."

"I want you." His hand slid to her bottom and whispered.

She grinned and lifted her eyebrow. "Hands off, Daniel! You heard what the doctor said. I still have a lot of healing to go and it's not like we can do anything anyway."

"Oh…I have a pretty good imagination." He lowered his lips to her neck. "I'm sure I can come up with something to make you feel good."

"Daniel…" Betty felt her whole body go numb from the feeling of his lips on her skin. "Uh….I really think… I better stay here tonight."

"I really wish you would just let me take you home with me. I'll be good. I just want to take care of you, Betty."

"I just think that if I do go home with you. It will just make matters worse. The paparazzi are probably just waiting in the bushes to catch us and give the world confirmation that we are involved."

"Betty, by the time, it would even make the papers, we will both be divorced."

Betty had to admit that Daniel was adorable trying to convince her. To be honest, she was very tempted to take the chance of being discovered because being away from Daniel was practically impossible now that their feelings were out in the open.

"What about Suzuki? He is probably already on high alert. I almost expect him to parachute out of the sky."

Daniel chuckled. "Who cares? Even before all this, we were together all the time. It's really no different."

"I want to. I do." Betty gazed up at him.

"How about you do your packing? And then go to a hotel. I'll go home, take care of a few things and then I'll meet you later. No one will actually see us together and I'll be very discreet when I come up."

"Well…I guess that would be an option."

"Good…" Daniel lit up. "It'll be fine."

"I hope that you're right. I honestly don't think that Brooke will be a problem but it would be just like Dean to try to do something to get in the way of the divorce or make things more difficult, just because he can."

"I'm not going to let him hurt you. I promise."

"Well…I'm actually more worried about what he might do to you. He obviously hates you enough. He doesn't care about me."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be okay as long as you are safe." Daniel kissed her on the forehead and then brought his eyes back to meet hers. "This will all be over soon."

"Not soon enough." Her eyes focused on his lips.

Daniel leaned forward and captured her lips in their first real kiss; a gesture that they had both tried to restrain themselves from so far. I was clear to Betty that Daniel couldn't hold back anymore and neither could she. To be loved by Daniel was all she ever wanted and all she would ever need.

"Oh My…"

Betty pulled away from Daniel, looking around Daniel to see Hilda standing in the doorway.

"Hilda…uh…" What Betty supposed to say? It's not what it looks like because actually it was it looked like.

"I better go." Daniel whispered, as Hilda stood in the door with her arms crossed.

"That's probably a good idea."

"I'll text you the information about the hotel and I'll meet you there in a few hours," said Daniel. He planted a kiss on Betty's forehead.

"I love you." Betty hated the feeling as Daniel removed his hands from her. She felt empty now.

Daniel grinned. "I love you too."

Betty reluctantly watched Daniel leave; giving her one last wink as before he passed through the door. Though, it was only a few hours until she would see him again. It felt like it was going to be forever.

As soon as Daniel was gone, Hilda moved into the room. "What the hell is going on between the two of you?"

"It was nothing." Betty said simply.

"Didn't look like nothing? It looked like something," said Hilda. "Are you two together now?"

"Not really…not officially."

"Betty, you are still married and so is Daniel. This isn't a good idea. Someone is going to get hurt," said Hilda. "Aren't you going to try to work things out with Dean?"

"Brooke and Dean have been having an affair for a couple of months now." Betty said bluntly.

"What?"

Betty went on to tell Hilda about how Daniel had caught Brooke and Dean together on the night that Betty was in the hospital and how cold Dean had been to her because she had lost their baby.

"I'm going to kick his ass." Hilda said sharply.

"Like that's going to help anything."

"Well, Bobby and his brother can take care of him. I promise he won't bother anyone ever again."

"Leave him alone, Hilda. Dean isn't worth the trouble. Soon, this will all be over and Daniel and I will be together."

"I'm sorry that I lost my temper but I just hate seeing someone mess with my baby sister," said Hilda. "It makes me crazy. So…this thing with Daniel, does he make you happy?"

Betty nodded, as she started packing. "Yes. He does."

"Then I'm happy for you." Hilda said sincerely.

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	13. Chapter 13

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback and comments. You guys are awesome._

**Chapter Twelve**

Half way back to his townhouse, Daniel got a text from Betty telling him that she was packed for their trip and on the way to the hotel, where she would be waiting for him. The thought of that thrilled him. It was unbelievable to think that after all these years of making the wrong choices.

The right woman was willing to open her heart and love him in return. Their future would soon be open and the possibilities were endless. In the morning, they would be on their way to the Dominican Republic to get their divorces. Then, they could return to New York and start their lives together.

For days, Daniel had struggled with himself over whether to move forward with her, physically. The kiss they shared in her bedroom had been their first.

Now, he was his heart was racing with excitement. So much so that Daniel was having thoughts about asking Betty to marry him as soon as they got back to New York. He knew that he needed to wait though and do what Betty suggested when she told him to practice some patience.

Tonight, Daniel planned on a quiet evening with Betty. Tomorrow morning, they would go to the airport, board the plane and take the next step on the path that Daniel hoped would lead to his and Betty's happily ever after.

By the time, Daniel got home. He and Betty had exchanged several flirtatious text messages that put Daniel in a big hurry to pack and get to the hotel. The thought of Betty alone in that hotel room was driving him mad.

While Betty wasn't exactly up for anything, he was still going to do his best to show her exactly how he felt about her. That kiss was only the beginning.

As Daniel shot up the stairs, he turned down the hall towards the bedroom.

His and Brook's bedroom.

Daniel slowed down the closer he got, he felt a twinge of heartache with every step. A heart ache so painful that it could still be felt through the happiness he was experiencing with Betty.

It was the first time that he had been here since everything happened. The last time, he and Brooke were home. It had been a happy time. Suddenly, everything came down on Daniel at one time. He felt like he had hit a brick wall.

As he stood there in the doorway, he stared at their relatively new bed. He was suddenly flooded with memories that had been so easy to forget when he and Betty were away in Hawaii, when his focus had been on Betty's recovery.

Now, those memories were right there in his face.

He remembered when they purchased that bed, shortly after returning from their honeymoon. He remembered how eager Brooke was to christen it, as soon as he arrived home from a late night at the office.

The haunting echoes of the laughter they had shared when they cuddled together and watched a movie on one of the few days he had chosen not to go into the office. Then, there had been the passionate welcomes that he would always have waiting for her when she returned from one of her many trips.

He had tried to be the best husband that he could be to Brooke. He did love her but he loved Betty also.

Daniel was overwhelmed with emotion, as he placed his suitcase down on the bed. He took a deep breath and knew that he had to get out of this house as soon as possible. The sooner he could get out of this house, the sooner that he could get on with his life.

The bathroom door opened and Brooke walked out. Daniel looked up at her.

"You're home." Brooke stood there in the doorway. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing his Harvard t-shirt. She looked normal; as far from being the cover model that appeared on countless magazines.

Yet, she was still the sweet and beautiful woman that he had become enamored with. The woman who could sip champagne at a high society gala or be happy at home (when she was home) eating pizza and watching a movie on Saturday night.

"We caught an earlier flight." Daniel said plainly. He went about his packing.

"How is Betty doing?" Brooke said with a hint of concern. She took a few steps towards him.

"Like you really care, Brooke?"

"Actually, I do. I know that might be hard for you to believe."

Daniel took a deep breath. "She's fine."

"Good." Brooke said sincerely. "I know that it would have broken your heart, if anything happened to her. She's very lucky to have you as a friend."

Daniel couldn't look at Brooke. In her tone, there was pain. It was obvious it was Daniel that had caused her that pain. "Brooke, listen…" He said gently.

"You know, Daniel. The night I met you, I could see that connection between the two of you. It's one of the things that drew me to you. I saw this man with an unbelievable heart that would do anything for a friend. After we got married, I had hoped that you would put me first. It still was all about Betty. It was always late nights and parties." She said calmly.

"Betty and I work together. It's not like we were working late nights having an affair. She has been my friend for a long time. You knew that from the beginning."

"I just thought there was room for me too." Brooke said solemnly. She came to rest on the bed, beside his suitcase. "At first, I thought that it was just me. I thought I was the only one that saw it. Then, I found out that Dean saw it too."

"We didn't do anything for you to be jealous of." Daniel protested. "My relationship with Betty was strictly platonic. You and Dean were the one that I caught having sex. Betty and I have never…"

Daniel didn't feel it was necessary to announce his intentions when it came to Betty. That was only between him and Betty.

"I know that now. I know that I was being ridiculous. I get it. You love Betty. She's your friend and you are always going to look out for her welfare." Brooke looked up at Daniel. "You have to believe me when I say that I'm sorry for what happened with Dean. It really only happened a few times. The first time…"

"I don't need a play by play of your sexual escapades with that asshole." Daniel said heatedly. "That man is toxic. You would be better off without him."

"Daniel, I'm so sorry. I made a mistake." The tears began to pour out of her eyes. "I don't love Dean. I love you and only you. I'm sorry that I let Dean convince me otherwise."

Seeing her tears instantly softened him as he moved forward, he never could stand to see a woman cry. "I saw the photos of the two of you having dinner right after you got back from Hawaii. And Dean told Betty that the two of you…"

"I was telling him that I didn't want him to be my lawyer anymore and that it was over," said Brooke. "He wasn't happy about it. I wouldn't doubt that he was the one behind leaking the news about the divorces to the tabloids. Dean is bad news. I wish that I had never gotten involved with him. I'm glad Betty is divorcing him. She deserves better."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't want a divorce, Daniel."

"You said…"

"I know what I said. I have thought about it and I'm not ready for it to be over yet." Brooke gazed up at him tearfully. He moved forward in an attempt to comfort her. He placed his hands on both of her shoulders. "Please tell me that we can fix this. I promise I'll do whatever you want. I'll stop working so much."

"Brooke, I don't know. I just don't think…" Daniel's thoughts wandered back to Betty at the hotel. Ten minutes ago, he had thought about how fast he could start his new life with Betty. Now, his wife was asking for another chance.

How could he want a future with Betty and also want to give Brooke another chance? Needless to say, Daniel was conflicted. His love for Betty was greater than what he had for Brooke. He knew that. However, he also had vowed to love Brooke for better or worse.

"Can we at least try?" She pleaded, as she stood up before him. "I promise that I'll never question your relationship with Betty again."

"It's more than that, Brooke. I can't just say that what you did was okay. It's not," said Daniel.

Brooke wrapped her arms around his neck. Her body against his made his weak. "Daniel, please. I love you and I want to make this work. We…need to make this work."

"Brooke, I tried to make it work. You were the one that had the affair." Daniel lowered his eyes. He couldn't look in her eyes. It only made his heart ache more. Looking in her eyes would also make it impossible to say no to her.

"I think we need to try again. I need to remind you how good we are together. " Her hands ripping open the front of his shirt. Before Daniel could say anything, Brooke moved forward and kissed him urgently and pulled him down on the bed.

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	14. Chapter 14

**Two of a Kind **

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback and comments. I appreciate them. I love them. Happy New Year!_

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

The later that it got, the more that Betty started to worry. It had been almost three hours since she had heard from Daniel. She tried to call him but her calls went directly to voicemail. She tried to text him but they went unanswered, as well.

Betty knew there had to be good explanation for his delay. She knew how eager he was to get there and be with her. In fact, the hotel had been his idea because he said that he couldn't imagine spending a night without her ever again.

Maybe, he left his phone in his jacket pocket and he was busy upstairs in his bedroom, packing from their trip. That had to be it.

She did her best to stay busy while she waited. She tried to watch a romantic movie but it only made her think of Daniel. Then, she moved to reorganizing her suitcase for the trip. Once that was done, she figured that she would take a shower and try to pass some more time.

As she stepped into the shower, she started to wonder whether she should call Claire. Daniel could have been in an accident. He could be in the hospital and unable to use his phone. Betty knew that she should have gone with. At least, they would be together and she would know where he was.

Just when she was considering getting out of the shower and was going to start making phone calls, Daniel stepped into the shower.

"Daniel…" She jumped just a little before she realized it was him. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

He wasted no time with words. His eyes were smoldering as he took every inch of her in. He moved towards her, pulling her to him and kissed her. She wasted no time, grabbing ahold of him, as he worked from her lips down to her neck fervently. His hands were around her waist, as they both stood underneath the shower spray.

As he broke away, he took her face in his hands and looked in her eyes. His blue eyes were sorrowful. Yet, they were also full of love.

"I love you so much, Betty." Daniel moved to kiss her lips again. "You have no idea how much."

She smiled and gave him another kiss. She loved the feeling of his body against hers. "I love you too.

She added, seriously. "I was starting to think that you changed your mind about meeting me."

"Never…." Daniel rested his forehead against hers. "There is nothing that could keep me away from you."

His hands commenced with the exploration of her body. His touch was so gentle and caring that it left her unable to speak.

Once their slippery and sudsy make-out session ended, they dried off. Daniel helped her reapply new bandages to her incisions and they got ready for bed.

As she slipped on a t-shirt, Daniel comes over to her and gently pulls her to him. She was so full of love for Daniel. He always took such good care of him. How could she not have fallen in love with him years ago?"

"Thank you for taking such good care of me." Betty said sincerely.

"It's easy when the patient is as beautiful as you are." Daniel said playfully. He moved in to kiss her as they stood there at the edge of the bed.

Finally, Betty crawled into bed and Daniel followed her. She wasted no time snuggling up beside him, getting as close as she could to him.

"I'm so glad you finally got here. I have been trying to call you." Betty glanced over all that excessive amount of luggage that Daniel brought with him that rested against the wall.

"I'm sorry. My phone …kind of got broken. It's been a rough night." Daniel let out heavy breath. "I dropped in while I was packing."

"Oh…I see. We probably should get you a new one in the morning before our flight."

"Marc is on it. He is going to meet us at the airport. I couldn't ready Jordan. She isn't answering her phone and Marc said she didn't come into the office today."

"That's strange. She's always there."

"Marc said he'll keep trying to get ahold of her and let us know. I told him that we would be back in the office on Monday, so he can go back to MODE before Wilhelmina has a fit."

"Yeah. That's probably a good idea." Betty had to admit that she actually missed work. She took another look at the piles of suitcases. "Why did you pack like we were leaving for a month, Daniel?"

She grinned at him. "Are we not coming back, Daniel?"

"Believe me. I'm tempted." He said plainly. "I just want to get our divorces and marry you and live happily ever after."

"Marry me?"

"Of course." He said confidently.

Betty knew this. It was just the first time that she actually heard him mention an actual marriage…in reference to them. After all, they hadn't wanted rush things. So far, they had done a mildly bad job at that. They made out in the shower, seen each other naked and have slept in the same bed together for days.

"We aren't even divorced yet." Betty ran her hand against his bare chest.

"We will be." He pulled a strand of hair out of her face and kissed her. Betty's heart raced as he deepened the kiss. His hands moved down to the curve of her waist. It took all her self-control, not to melt into him. She needed to remember that they still needed to practice some patience.

As they parted, Betty smiled at him. Their faces only inches apart. "I guess we should get some sleep. We have to meet Dean and Brooke in the morning early at the airport."

"Actually, I've made some changes. You and I are taking a private flight." Daniel said hesitantly.

"Why?" Betty asked curiously. She could sense a shift in Daniel's tone.

"I just figured that we could use our privacy and it would be more comfortable for you. I know that the commercial flight was torture for you when we came back from Hawaii. Plus, I didn't want things to be uncomfortable. I think the least amount of time that we interact with Dean or Brooke, the better."

"What brought this on?" Betty knew that something had to have happened. Only a few hours ago, Daniel was talking about their previous plans. "Why the change in plans?"

"I ran into some complications earlier." Daniel confessed. "With Brooke."

"What kind of complications?" She almost didn't want to ask. Betty knew that it was better to get it out though. Secrets always had a way of destroying a relationship.

Daniel's eyes left Betty's for a moment. "When I got back to my place, Brooke was there. She told me that she didn't want a divorce."

"What? How can she say that? She cheated on you."

"I know. I told her that. I actually felt kind of bad for her. She really seemed sincere about wanting another chance."

"Do you want to give her another chance?" It pained Betty to ask that, considering how she had finally come to terms with her feelings for Daniel. What she wanted wasn't important? Daniel's happiness was the thing that matters the most.

"No. Betty…No." He placed his hand on her arm. "I did feel sorry for her for about two seconds. You are the one that love and the one that I want a life with."

"Are you sure?" Betty asked him once more. She could feel tears form in the corner of her eyes.

"Yes…Nothing and I mean, nothing will change that I want to be with you. I even came out and told Brooke about us. I told her that I am in love with you."

"You did." Betty lifted her eyes to his.

"Yes, I did."

"That couldn't have gone over well."

"It didn't. I did tell her that there was nothing going on before I discovered her with Dean. I'm not sure she believed me though. I really don't care though. At this point, I don't even think it matters. What's done is done. We all need to move on."

"Is she going to hold up the divorce?" Betty knew that Daniel's confession could cause problems.

"No. I don't think that she's going to be a problem. We…uh…come to an understanding. I gave her what she wanted and she gave me what I wanted. That's why it took me so long tonight. We have to sort out a few things. The last thing I wanted was to get to the Dominican Republic and have her contest the divorce. Then, we would be back at square one."

"Wait. I thought she and Dean were together now."

"Brooke ended their professional and personal relationship when they got they got back to New York. It seems that Dean has juggled a few women. Brooke heard that Dean was spotted with a very young dark-haired woman on several occasions, in the last few days."

"I guess that I shouldn't be surprised. I wish that I had never met him." Betty said solemnly. All that time, she could have been with Daniel.

"The important thing is that you aren't with him anymore. He doesn't deserve you." Daniel gazed into her eyes. "And I promise you that I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that we have the life that we deserve. I'm not going to let Dean or Brooke, get in the way of our chance to be together."

Betty took a deep breath and snuggled up closer to Daniel. He wrapped his arms around her. There she felt safe and secure and right where she belonged in the arms of the only man she would ever need again.

"I love you, Daniel." She looked up Daniel.

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	15. Chapter 15

**Two of a Kind **

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback and comments. I appreciate it._

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen **

It was finally done. The divorces were final. Daniel was a free man. And though his personal price was higher than it should have been, considering the length of his and Brooke's marriage and that she had been unfaithful with Dean, Daniel was glad that it was over, despite what it had cost him.

The price that he paid had helped him get exactly what he wanted. It gave him his freedom and that meant he and Betty could be together. He would pay any price for that.

With Betty on his lap, they were onboard the Meade Publications plane headed back to New York City. It didn't get any better than this. They were ready to start their new life together.

"I can't believe that it's over." She leaned forward and kissed him.

"You know, this is just the beginning for us though." Daniel smiled affectionately. "And that's the only thing that I care about." Daniel felt liberated. He could finally show the world how he felt for this woman.

"So what happens now?" Betty asked curiously.

"Well, I was thinking that we could land in North Carolina for the night and then head back in the morning." Daniel ran his hand up Betty's thigh.

"I think that sounds like a great idea." She giggled. "I'm sure that the press is waiting for us to land there anyway."

"Exactly…so, I figured that we could use some quality couple time together before head back. Suzuki is probably camped out at the airport."

"Well, he should have enough to talk about with Dean and Jordan." Betty said sharply.

"Does it bother you to know that Dean plans on marrying her?" Daniel asked her. He knew that he was just as shocked as Betty when Dean and Jordan waltzed into the hotel restaurant last night, arm in arm. When Dean made his announcement to them, he didn't fail to rub in the fact that Jordan was pregnant with his baby and would no long need her job at SPARK magazine.

"No…Of course, I really never want to see Dean again as long as I live. I just thought that Jordan was smarter than to get involved with someone like him."

"Well..." Daniel started to point out that Betty actually married Dean.

"Shut up…" Betty gave him a gentle shove. "I just can't believe that he and Jordan have been hooking up since before I even married him. I mean, she was a bridesmaid in the wedding."

"I'm guessing that was Jordan and Dean in our office."

"What?"

"Having sex. I thought it was the two of you." Daniel said awkwardly.

"Daniel, you know that we both agreed to never have sex in our office when we started working together.

"Well, it seems that someone has used our office for that purpose."

"Eww…." Betty twisted her mouth in disgust. "I think we need to get new couches for the office."

"I think that's a really good idea," said Daniel. "Especially now that I'm planning on bending that rule from time to time, especially during those late night work sessions."

"Oh…you have it all planned out." Betty shook her head in amusement.

"Yes. I do. I think that it was one thing when we were with other people but now that we are together, I think we can make an exception."

"We are never going to get any work done." Betty rolled her eyes.

"I'll get lots done." Daniel kissed her cheek. "After all, I have lots to do to make up for all the time that we've wasted."

"We can't let it affect the magazine. That's our baby, Daniel. We have to keep up the amazing job that we've done this past year. We can't afford to get lost in this new relationship and ruin everything that we've worked so hard for."

Daniel grinned. Leave it to Betty to bring him back down to reality. This is the reason he would be lost without her.

"You're right. After all, we have lot of time together when we get home at night….when I find a place to live that is."

"What about your house?" Betty asked curiously.

"I gave it to Brooke in the divorce." Daniel hadn't exactly discussed the details of everything with Betty. "I…I mean, it was part of our agreement."

"Daniel, you were only married to her for a few months. You gave her your house. That's crazy. She can buy her own house."

"I know but really…I couldn't see staying there. There are just too many memories. The other night when I was running late, I was packing as much as I could. Tyler was having everything else picked up while we were out of town."

"Yeah. I can understand that. There was no way that I was going to ask to keep the apartment that we were living in. I was always wonder, whether or not Dean had any of his women there." Betty said sadly. "Maybe, that's why he didn't mind that I worked late."

"I promise that you'll never have to wonder again. I'll always be faithful to you….for the rest of my life. I'm yours forever." Daniel said sincerely.

Betty smiled. "And I'm yours forever."

"You mean it." Daniel felt a burst of happiness.

"Of course, I do."

"In that case, I don't think we should drag our feet anymore."

"I actually think we are doing pretty good."

"Betty, what would you say if I asked you to be my wife?" Daniel said bravely.

"What?"

"Just hear me out….Betty, I have loved you for a long time. And you obviously have had feelings for me too. You are my best friend and I have no doubt that you are the one that I'm supposed to be with. Life is short. I just think that we would be foolish to waste another second with doing all the traditional dating stuff because when you think about it, we've already done that."

Daniel reached in his pocket. He knew that it was a risk when he bought it. It wasn't exactly as extravagant as he would have liked to have bought her. It wasn't from Tiffany's but it was all that he could get his hands on, considering his now limited funds.

He opened the small box that revealed the modest diamond ring.

"Oh…Daniel." Betty gasped.

"Please marry me. I promise that I'll do everything that I can do to make you happy." Daniel's heart was pounding. In his life, he had done a lot of bold things. Proposing marriage the day after his divorce had to rank as one of the boldest. "If I have you, I'll be the richest man in the world."

"It's just so fast. We haven't even gotten back home yet," said Betty.

"I was thinking that maybe we could get married when we land. There is no waiting period to get married in North Carolina. We can be married in a small ceremony. We can send the plane on to New York, while we rent a car and drive back to New York in the morning. This way, we don't have to worry about any press getting pictures of us at the airport."

"You have the all planned out ." Betty gave him a mischievous grin. "Is there anything that you didn't think of?"

"I did make reservations at a bed and breakfast for our wedding night," said Daniel.

Betty giggled. "Your confidence is so sexy."

"Will you at least think about it? We have about 30 minutes until we land….No pressure."

"I love you." Betty said adorningly. "Yes…of course, I'll marry you."

Daniel smiled and took the ring from the box. It tumbled to the floor of the airplane, as he slid the ring on her finger.

"I wish it was more but…"

She lifted her hand to his cheek and kissed him. "It's perfect."

There was more than Daniel had to tell her. Right now, it didn't matter though. It could wait. The only thing that mattered was that he had Betty's heart and that she had his heart.

"So…will you marry me today?" Daniel just wanted some confirmation.

"Yes…Yes…Yes. Let's get married." Betty said enthusiastically.

"Are you sure that you want to do this without your family, Betty? I don't want you to have any regrets."

"I promise. I won't have any regrets. The only regret that I'll have is if I don't marry you." She gazed down at her engagement ring. "Because when I really think about it, you were a better husband to me when I was married to Dean, than he was. You always take care of me."

"And I always will."

"You know when my birthday is," said Betty

"I've forgotten a few times."

"You always make it up to me though. Dean forgot my birthday…totally. You know my favorite pastries and how I like my coffee. You know my favorite flower too. Dean thought it was roses."

"Pink Gerber daisies."

"Exactly." Betty said happily. "You know me…sometimes even better than I know myself. It makes sense that we just get married."

"So…you don't mind not having a big wedding?"

"Daniel, I've already had the huge wedding and look where it ended up. If we wait to get married, it's just going to be a spectacle for the press. I think we've both had enough of that. I want our wedding to be just about us. Anyway, I know that my family loves you and they would just want us to be happy."

"Well then, it looks like we are getting married." Daniel said happily.

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	16. Chapter 16

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback and comments. I appreciate it._

**Chapter Sixteen**

With their copy of their marriage license in her bag, Betty sat on the bench outside the old red brick courthouse in the small town they landed in two hours earlier. There, she waited for Daniel to return from his last-minute errands before their appointment with the magistrate that would marry them.

Betty smoothed out the blue dress that she wore. It was the only decent thing she had brought to wear, that wasn't wrinkled or that needed to be cleaned. Daniel had offered to buy her a new dress but she declined. After all, she knew Daniel loved this dress on her. He complimented her each time she wore it.

As she sat there on the bench, she took a deep breath and took in the calmness of the small town. It was the exact opposite of what she and Daniel were used to back home. In Manhattan, it was a challenge to keep up the pace.

Here, it was very laid back. Back home, they would have to worry about the press hiding out in the bushes, waiting to make them the subject of tomorrow's headlines. Here, they were simply two people in love and eager to marry.

When they applied for their marriage license, the woman behind the counter didn't even blink when she saw Daniel's name. Betty was thankful for it too because the one thing she wanted more than anything else was this to be about her and Daniel and nothing else.

While Betty waited for her groom to return, she did her best to occupy her nerves. She made a few phone calls: one to her doctor to see if sex would be an option, after all it was their wedding night and she was almost healed completely and was feeling better. She was grateful when she got the green light, as long as they didn't do anything wild.

Though Daniel had been extremely patient with her and said that he was willing to wait, Betty was thrilled that she was going to be able to surprise him with some wedding night sex. Then, there was the call to Hilda to let her know that the divorces were final and that she and Daniel would be home in a couple of days. She, however, didn't mention that she and Daniel were tying the knot because Betty knew that Hilda wasn't very good at keeping secrets. It was better to give her family the happy news of their elopement in person.

Just as she got off the phone with Hilda, she turned and saw Daniel rushing down the sidewalk with a bouquet of pink and white Gerber daisies in his hand and an adorable expression of a man that was head over heels in love. It was an image that made Betty smile instantly and made her heart flutter.

"For you, my love." Daniel held out the lovely bouquet that was wrapped with a satin ribbon.

"Where did get these?" Betty was amazed that Daniel had managed to think of this small detail.

"The florist."

"Thank you." She took it in her hand, as he took a seat beside her. He looked so handsome in light blue shirt. His eyes were practically sparkling in the afternoon sun. "They're beautiful."

He opened the small bag and pulled out another ring box. "I saw a jewelry store a few blocks away that I saw on our way in. I got our wedding rings." Daniel opened the small box to reveal two simple gold bands. "I hope this is okay."

"Daniel, it's perfect."

"You aren't disappointed." Daniel said anxiously. "They really didn't have much to choose from. I can get you something else when we get home."

"No way. Daniel, the only thing that matters to me is that I'm marrying my best friend." She placed her hand on his. "I'll wear this ring proudly. It doesn't matter what it costs or whether it was the only one they had to choose. The thing that matters is the love that we share, Daniel."

"You're right." Daniel lifted her hand and kissed it.

Betty's heart was beating faster and faster. "Still, I can't believe that this is happening."

"Believe it, sweetie." Daniel closed up the ring box and placed in back in the small bag. He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

He took a quick glance at his watch. "Looks like it's time. Are you ready?"

"Yes. I am." Betty said happily.

When Daniel got up, he held his hand out for her. She smiled and placed her hand inside of his, as he helped her up from the bench. As they began their short journey, they both watched in silence, only exchanging affectionate glances.

Finally, they traveled the endless tree-lined walkway that led to the office and a few minutes later, they were standing under a blossoming dogwood tree reciting their vows to one another.

Each and every word that came out of Daniel's perfect lips were laced with love and adoration. She never felt as loved by any other man in her whole life and she couldn't believe how lucky she was to be marrying her best friend.

As they were pronounced husband and wife, Daniel kissed her gently. It was as if all that time they wasted melted away instantly. Their pasts no longer matter. Dean and Brooke were behind them. Their future before them.

"I love you, Mrs. Meade." Daniel said adorningly.

"I love you, Mr. Meade." She giggled, as she released her hold on her new husband and took his hand.

Once all the formalities were done, Daniel quickly ushered her back to their rental car, opening the door for her. Before he allowed her entrance to the vehicle, he stopped her and captured her lips once again.

When he was done, he rested his forehead against hers, gazed into her eyes. Her heart was beating wildly.

"Did you call Hilda?" Daniel asked.

"Yes. I told her that I would be home in a few days. Did you call Marc?"

"Yep. I let him know that we would be back in the office on Monday, just as promised." Daniel grinned.

"Good." Betty said softly. Despite her new marriage, she was really looking forward to getting back to work with her new husband.

"May I have your cell phone?" Daniel pulled away.

"Sure…but don't you have your own?" Betty reached her bag and pulled out her phone. Daniel pulled his phone out of his pocket. He took the phone from her hand and turned it off. Then, he did the same with his own.

"I want some uninterrupted time with you." Daniel took both phones and placed them in the glove compartment of the car. "Just the two of us."

"That sounds wonderful but what if someone needs to reach us."

"24 hours. Just me and you…and nothing else."

She wanted that too. Down time with Daniel with no drama was the best wedding present ever. "Okay."

He grabbed her waist. "So…what would you like to do now, my wife? I saw a museum a few streets over. We could take a walk by the river. Anything you want?"

"Let me think…" Betty said playfully.

"Hold that thought." Daniel allowed her to get into the passenger's seat. He closed the door and moved around to the other side. He opened his door and slid into the driver's seat.

Betty giggled. She knew what Daniel was trying to do. He was doing anything to avoid thinking about the fact that they weren't going to have a normal honeymoon, like other couples. Perhaps, it could be fun to humor him a bit. Of course, she really didn't know how long she could hold out either.

"A walk would be wonderful. The flowers are beautiful….and maybe something to eat would be nice."

"You got it. We'll find out where we can find the best chili cheese fries in town." Daniel gazed over at her, as he started the car.

"Well, that sounds great. As long as we can stop by a pharmacy and get some condoms." Betty reached over and placed her hand on Daniel's leg.

Daniel's head turned quickly. "Condoms? But I thought we were going to have wait a couple more weeks."

Betty leaned over and whispered in his ear. "I made a call and as long as we are very careful and safe. We should be okay."

"Are you sure that you are up for it?" Daniel asked cautiously. His breath was heavy.

"I think I am…and I can tell that you are." Betty purred, as her hand brushed across the front of his pants. Daniel's head fell back against the headrest.

"Betty...uh…so…how about that walk?" Daniel said breathlessly.

"I don't think you want that walk right now. Maybe, tomorrow before we head back to New York" Betty giggled.

"I thought you were hungry," said Daniel plainly.

"I am…but Daniel, you've taken such good care of me. Now, I want to take care of you." Betty said affectionately. Her eyes met his and a smile rose to his face.

"Let's go." Daniel quickly fumbled for the directions to the hotel impatiently. "I don't think the bed and breakfast is that far from here." He scanned the directions.

"Pharmacy, Daniel." Betty reminded him with a giggle. Daniel was so cute. He looked like a kid that was eager to open a Christmas gift.

"Oh...Yes. Definitely. Pharmacy. Yes...Yes." Daniel said eagerly, as he finished programming the address into the GPS. Then, they were on their way.

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	17. Chapter 17

**Two of a Kind **

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback and comments. I appreciate it. The story will start to pick up soon. Right now, I'm just enjoying these two having some peace. (Yes…for once I'm not the Queen of Angst…LOL) I hope you enjoy it too because it probably won't last….or maybe it will. _

**Chapter Seventeen **

Since he and Betty had confessed their feeling for each other, Daniel had held back his boiling desires to physically show Betty how much he loved her. Given the circumstances of their marital status to other people and Betty's emergency surgery, they had taken things slow.

Now that they were married, Daniel still thought that might be the best approach, despite Betty's eagerness to move forward. In fact, he had resolved himself to a sex-less wedding night. There was so many other ways they could express the way they felt in their hearts.

Daniel's first priority was Betty and her health and well-being. Daniel knew that Dean had been very demanding when it came to sex with Betty. His need to procreate, though it was no one's fault, had led to the situation that put Betty's life and future fertility in danger. As her new husband and her best friend, he wanted to be sensitive to everything that she had been through and about what her wishes for the future were. He was willing to wait as long as he had too.

Truth be known though, he was extremely eager to consummate their marriage, Daniel was unsure of himself and there was a bit of fear that ran through him. The images of Betty laying on the floor of his hotel suite in Hawaii were still in his mind. They probably always would be. It was enough to make him think twice, as he paid for the condoms at the pharmacy.

How close he came to losing her forever? What happened if they did take that next step before it was safe? What if he hurt Betty? Or did something that would damage her further? The doctors had told them at Betty's last doctor's appointment before they left Hawaii that it was important to be cautious during the healing process, so that it wouldn't lessen her chance of conceiving a child in the future.

And though he knew that Betty had been reluctant about having a child with Dean, her situation had scared her enough to make her believe that she would never be a mother. It's funny how sometimes when you are told you might not be able to have something. It just makes you want it even more and then when he and Betty started talking about their feelings. She opened up to him and suddenly, she wanted that…with him. He assured her that when the time was right. It would happen. It wasn't now though. The last thing, Daniel wanted to do was make matters worse.

As he slid back into the driver's seat with his purchase, he was thankful for their little stop. It gave him time to think about things, rationally.

"Did you get them?" Betty asked playfully. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He felt his face flood with warmth.

"Yes." Daniel gazed over at his radiant new wife and made confident with his decision.

"Great…" Betty clapped her hands together.

"You're adorable." His ray of sunshine that could always push away all the gray clouds that hung over his head, bring him back to the positive. "And obviously feeling better."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Betty said affectionately. "You've made me so happy, Daniel."

"How about we go take that walk?"

"I…uh…thought you were in a hurry to check in to our room." She said playfully.

"Oh…I am. Believe me. I am." He reached over and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I just want to take my girl for a walk along the river. The park is really beautiful. I thought we could get some ice cream. Kind of like a date."

"A date after the wedding. That's different." Betty giggled. "But very sweet."

"Well, since when are we like anyone else. We always have marched the beat of a different drummer. If we were like everyone else, we would probably have been married a long time ago."

"I wish." She sighed. "I wish we wouldn't have been so stupid."

Daniel could relate to that feeling. If he had married Betty years ago, they could have avoided so much pain and been happy together.

Instead, he met Brooke and married her. The end of that marriage almost cleaned out his bank account and had cost him his home. After the last night at his home, he never wanted to see Brooke again. The divorce proceedings had been agonizing enough. The sight of her made him sick.

Any love that Daniel had for Brooke was quickly erased when she tried to seduce him into giving her another chance. Thankfully, he was able to get out of that situation quickly. It didn't stop her though. She made a third attempt to seduce him by telling him that if he didn't give her another chance, she was going to go to the press with a slew of lies about their marriage and his relationship with Betty and the baby she lost.

He knew that he should have fought her. It was well worth the money and the house in Manhattan to get rid of her and keep her from spreading her lies. There was nothing that Daniel wouldn't do to protect Betty and keep her from any more pain.

In fact, he would have given up everything to make that happen because Betty was his most precious gem. As long as he had her, nothing else mattered.

"We are together now and we have our whole lives ahead of us." Daniel grinned.

A short time later, Betty and Daniel were walking arm in arm along the river walk with their ice cream cones. He had a vanilla cone and Betty with her chocolate one. It was a beautiful day out and Daniel couldn't help but think of how different this town was from back home in New York.

It lead him to think about where the two of them would actually make home when they did return to their lives in the big city.

"So…any thoughts about our living situation when we get home?"

"Uh…I really hadn't thought about it. We've only been married for an hour…and decided to get married this morning."

"Yeah. That's true. Not to mention that we still have to tell our families. You know I was thinking that we were actually pretty smart getting married here. The press isn't likely to figure out that we got married."

"I think that's a huge positive. I mean…not that I don't want to tell the world."

Daniel laughed. "I understand what you mean. I like the idea of us keeping it private for a while, just telling our close family and friends, especially after everything we've been through."

"I'm okay with that." Betty agreed. "At least for a few months. I would rather Suzuki not sneaking his nose in our business. I know, we could stay at my dad's for a little while. No one would think to look for us in Queens."

Daniel burst out laughing. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"You love my family. My family loves you. It'll be fine." Betty said playfully, as she took a lick of her ice cream. Each time she did that, Daniel ached a bit. It seemed that even though he was trying hard not to think about sex. He still ended right back with his mind in the gutter.

"Well, I'm not really crazy about the thought of sleeping in bed with you….just down the hall from your father…especially after we just eloped, the day after both of our divorces. Didn't you tell me something about he killed a man in Mexico?"

"He thought he killed a man in Mexico. Who are you to judge? Your mom killed your father's mistress."

"Okay." Daniel chuckled. "I guess you have a point."

"They are going to be happy for us, Daniel. I'm sure that Hilda has already filled everyone in on the fact that she walked in on us kissing the other day. It probably won't be shock at all."

"We could stay at my mom's for a week or so, until we can find an apartment." Daniel suggested. "Probably should try to find something close to work."

"We could always just save time and sleep in the office." Betty giggled.

"Yes…but I wouldn't want the security team to get a show every night." Daniel quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek. "There are some things that should stay private."

"Says the man that was photographed having sex underneath the Peter Pan statue in Central Park." Betty teased.

"Okay…Okay…I guess we can figure it out when we get home. I just know that my mom's house isn't an option either."

Betty stopped and led him over to the railing. She tried to keep her ice cream from melting down the side of the cone. It was very entertaining for Daniel to watch. "I don't really matter as long as we are together. It will all come together. I just feel like nothing can go wrong now."

"I wouldn't tempt fate." Daniel warned her, as he gave up on his ice cream cone. It was half melted. He deposited it in the trash can.

"Want some of mine?" Betty offered her cone to him, probably because he couldn't decide whether between chocolate and vanilla. She turned to face him. Her back against the railing and his body moved closer.

"No thanks." Daniel chuckled.

"Come on. I can't eat all of this." Betty pleaded sweetly. "And I know that you wished you got the chocolate."

Daniel smiled, as he leaned forward to take a bite. She had this mischievous look on her face. Just as he about to take a bite, she pushed it further, resulting in him getting ice cream on his face.

"Hey…that wasn't nice." A smile spread across his face.

"Oh…yes it is." She leaned forward and licked it off the corner of his mouth. She pulled away and smiled wickedly. "Mmmm…good."

"Come here." He pulled her to him. Her ice cream cone went crashing to the ground as he kissed her urgently.

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	18. Chapter 18

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for the comments and feedback. I'm actually considering ending this story soon. However, I might continue it with a sequel. I do have another idea that revolves around this story but I think it might be better to do it as a separate story. Hmmm…something to think about. _

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

On the other side of the door, Betty knew that Daniel was laying in the king sized bed, waiting for her. As she readied herself for bed, she began to process everything that had occurred since they woke up this morning in the Dominican Republic. Never in her life would she have thought that when the sunset, she would be the new Mrs. Daniel Meade.

This was a new life and new chapter with her amazing new husband. So sweet and attentive to every need that she had. She could only hope that this stage of their relationship would last forever.

Of course, she knew that probably was unrealistic. She knew they would face some challenges along the way. She had no doubt that they would make it through, just like they always did. Those challenges had always made them stronger in the end.

She had to admit that she was quite surprised when Daniel chose not to bring them right back to their room and accept her obvious invitation. Instead, he had been very patient. Honestly, it only increased Betty's anticipation more.

Not that the day hadn't been full of lots of kisses, touching and romance, it had been…very much so. From the hand holding in the park to the fervent make out session in the dressing room of the local department store to the way that the looked at her across their candle-lite table at dinner, Betty couldn't get her heart to stop fluttering, just thinking about it.

This was love. And it had always been there right in front of her. She could see that now. It had been in his eyes all along.

Betty opened the door and saw Daniel sitting up against the headboard of the four-poster bed in just his black boxers. His eyes lit up when he saw her in the lingerie that she had purchased earlier during their shopping trip.

"Wow…Where did you get that?" He remarked, as she saw his eyes take in the white nightie with black lace trim. It was not the most scandalous honeymoon lingerie but it was the best she could do in the short time frame she had to scavenge through the racks, while Daniel was having a conversation with the sales girl, who seemed to be extremely interested in learning about both of them after hearing that they both worked in publishing.

"I picked it up while you were flirting with the sales girl." Betty teased him. She knew that Daniel only had eyes for her.

"I was _not_ flirting with her. She wanted to know where we were from. I guess it was obvious that we weren't from here."

"Yeah. Well, you do kind of stand out." Betty said playfully. "With your designer clothes and your perfect smile."

"Well, Mrs. Meade, it just so happens that your father owns the newspaper here," said Daniel. "Her name is Katrina…Katherine…something like that."

"Oh…I see. It was purely business." Betty made her way over to the edge of the bed. She leaned over and kissed him.

"Exactly. I made a point to tell her that you were my wife and that we just got married. Anyway, I think she was wise to what we were doing in the dressing room." Daniel chuckled. "Because you wouldn't stop giggling."

"You just have that effect on me, Daniel." She looked into his eyes. She couldn't imagine ever getting tired of looking at those familiar blue eyes.

"I'm so glad that you glad that you finally came out of the bathroom. I was starting to wonder what took you so long." He said playfully. "I thought you might have crawled out the window and found someone else to marry."

He moved over on the bed to make room for her. However, Betty had other ideas. "I'll have you know that you are my last husband. You are stuck with me…so I hope you aren't having buyer's remorse." She straddled his lap.

"Definitely not." He said heatedly, as he leaned in to kiss her. His hands moved up and down her sides, as he deepened the kiss. Her hands wrapped around his neck.

She reveled in the way his kiss but she also couldn't keep her mind from wandering. There was much that was on her mind. Though, she ached to make it all about her and Daniel. It had been hours since they checked in with anyone..

"We probably should have checked our messages. Do you think you could run down and get our phones from the car?"

"No phones. That was the rule." Daniel began kissing her neck and running his hand across sparsely covered bottom. "We can check our messages before we leave in the morning."

"Do we have to go home?" Betty sighed, closing her eyes and losing herself in the feeling of Daniel's lips against her skin.

"We can do whatever you want but remember we promised Marc we would be back on Monday." Daniel murmured, as he pulled her against his chest, lying back among the pillows. "Just remember it's a least a ten-hour drive back home."

He added. "I'm having them make us a picnic lunch to take with us. I figured we could stop somewhere along the way. We might have to stop tomorrow night though. It still gives up plenty of time to get back by Monday."

"That sounds nice. I just hate to get back and see what trouble might be around the corner." She said, hating herself for even saying it. In the depths of her soul, she just had this feeling that Dean wasn't gone for good.

"Is Dean still bothering you?"

"A little." She confessed. "It just bothers me that he and Jordan have been involved. I just don't have a good feeling about it. It's like he's still lingering over us."

"I know what you mean. I thought the same thing," said Daniel. "Just try not to worry about it. Dean is obviously occupied with Jordan. Now, he will have the child that he wanted and you and I are free to live our lives. When the time is right, we will have a little baby of our own."

"You're right." She leaned up and kissed him.. "I really don't know what I would do without you."

In an instance, Daniel had grabbed her and gently rolled her over onto her back.

"Daniel…" She giggled.

"And you are never going to have to find out either." Daniel began showering her with kisses. Her heart raced wildly, as she felt his hands creep up his thigh and under the hem of her nightie.

* * *

It was the middle of the night when Betty was awakened by a wave of nausea. She felt like she was going to be sick. She knew that if she moved, it would wake Daniel.

So, she closed her eyes, hoping that it would pass. If she could go back to sleep, she was sure that she would feel better in the morning.

She would not wake Daniel. He looked adorable as he slept beside her. A peaceful contentment was clear in his face, probably due to the fact that they had made love for the first time several hours earlier. It did take some convincing on her part to get him to take that step. His fear of doing something to hurt her was evident. She told him that everything would be fine.

If someone would have told her in the past that Daniel would have to be talked into having sex on their wedding night, she would have thought they were crazy. Then again, she would have thought they were crazy for telling her that she and Daniel would be married.

Still, she didn't want to wreck the perfect images that moment with her waking him to tell him that she wasn't feeling well. It would pass.

Perhaps, it was something she ate earlier. Maybe, she had a slight infection. It was probably best not to mention it to Daniel right now. She could just go see her doctor when they got back to Manhattan. She could get some antibiotics then. It could also be that she was tired too. After all, it had been a very long day and filled with excitement.

She opened her eyes and stared out the window. Then, she felt a hand moved down her arms.

"Betty, are you okay?" Daniel whispered in her ear, as he moved closer. His hand moved across her stomach, moving across the silky fabric.

She turned her head and gave him a subtle smile. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She knew a lie but again, she knew it would be okay. At least, she hoped it would be.

"Just what I wanted to hear, now get over here. You are way too far away." Daniel drew her into his strong arms. He kissed her forehead, as she rested her head on his shoulders. In his arms, she felt safe and secure and a few minutes later, she was able to fall asleep.

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	19. Chapter 19

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback and comments. I appreciate them_**.**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

Daniel took a deep breath, as he took in the calm atmosphere. He remembered Betty telling him that she liked it here so much that she wished that they could stay here. Here, they were unknown. They wouldn't be the hottest subject in the tabloids, due to their quick divorce and now, their quick marriage.

They had to get back though. They had their magazine there. They had their family there, as well. Perhaps, they could come back on their one year anniversary and every year after that.

With the last of their things packed in the car, Daniel closed the trunk of the car and made his way into the passenger seat. He slid in. Betty was already in the passenger seat, opening up the glove compartment and removing their phones.

"You just couldn't wait, could you?" Daniel chuckled.

"Daniel, it's been 24 hours." Betty smiled. It was so good to see her smile. He could sense that she wasn't feeling well though. She didn't eat much at breakfast. At this point, he was considering not trying to make the entire journey back home in one day.

In fact, he was starting to question whether he should have just had the Meade Publications plane stay overnight. However, he was afraid that it would have given away their location and by morning, they would have been swarmed by paparazzi. "I'm sure we have a ton of messages. I'm surprised that you didn't try to sneak out during the night to get your phone. You are more attached to your phone than I am."

"Hey. There was no way that I was leaving my beautiful wife on our wedding night." Daniel reached over and gave her a kiss, as he turned the power on his phone. He figured it would be wise to check their messages to make sure that nothing happened.

She gave him a small smile as she lifted the phone to her ear to listen to her messages. Then, she took it away and laid it in her lap. Her face was white.

"Betty, you aren't feeling well. Are you?"

In a flash, the car door was open and she frantically unfastened her seatbelt. She didn't speak as she jumped out of the car. Her phone crashed to the ground with a crash. She didn't make it far though before she was bent over and throwing up in the grass.

Daniel was frozen for a split second before he quickly moved to her aid, dropping his phone into the console. In seconds, he was at her side. His hand on her back, as she continued to vomit, the entire time he did his best to keep himself from getting sick.

When she was done, he could see that there was no way that they could go anywhere. "Betty, I'm taking you to a doctor."

"Okay." She nodded, as he took her under his arm. He brought her over to the car to sit in the passenger seat. He was thankful that she wasn't fighting him on this. There was no way that he was driving ten hours with Betty feeling like this.

"I'm going to go back inside and see if we can get a room for another couple of days." He felt her forehead to see if she had a fever. He had worried about her over doing things. "Then, I'll find out if they can recommend a doctor."

Betty took a deep breath. "No…we can still go today. I really want to get home."

"And so do I but we'll just see what the doctor said. We've been traveling enough. From Hawaii to New York to the Dominican Republic…now, here, I'm not going to let you go anywhere, if you've developed some kind of infection. I'll never forgive myself if something happened to you."

Daniel knelt in front of her and picked up the pieces of her shattered phone that had broken in her hasty exit.

* * *

Daniel paced around the room. There was no way that he could sit down. In the middle of the room, Betty sat on the examination table. After an examination and a series of tests, the only thing they had to do now was wait for the doctor to return.

"Stop it. You are driving me crazy." Betty snapped. "Can you go call Marc, my dad and your mom? I'm sure they have to be worried."

"I'll take care of that as soon as we know how long we are going to be here." Daniel said plainly. He placed his hands on her arms, kissing her forehead. "Anyway, there is no way that I'm leaving you for a second until we know what's going on."

"I'm feeling a lot better." She tried to convince him. He wasn't buying it.

"Still not leaving." Daniel said unwaveringly.

"I'm sure that it's going to be a while." Betty still seemed a little annoyed with him.

"Nope. I'm not going anywhere," said Daniel.

"Remind me why I married you?" Betty crossed her arms over her chest.

"Because you love me…and well, if you need another reminder." He glanced at the door. "It's like you said. It's probably going to be a while but there's a good chance they'll throw us out of here, if we get caught." Daniel said playfully.

Moment later, the door opened. Daniel chuckled silently, as he gave Betty that look he knows that drives her wild. It's still sinking in slowly that she is his wife though.

When Dr. Wallace appeared, Daniel stood close by his wife side as they waited to find out what was going on.

"We got your records and processed your test." The doctor stood before them. "And Mrs. Meade, you are pregnant."

"What…wait…that's impossible?" Daniel's mind spun. How could Betty be pregnant?

"It's not impossible. Yes. It is very rare but our test still indicates that Betty is pregnant." The doctor confirms. "It appears that she seems to have had an heterotopic pregnancy, where she had both an ectopic and intrauterine pregnancy."

Betty reached for his hand and held on tight. "Wouldn't something like that had been discovered when I was in the hospital?"

"Considering the emergency circumstances of your surgery, it could have been over looked. It happens. It is also possible for the baby wasn't as far along, having been conceived at another time. We are going to need to do an ultrasound to determine that." The doctor said in a concerned tone. "I do advise that you take very good care of yourself because…and I don't mean to scare you there could be a chance of miscarriage."

As Daniel listened to the details of what would come next, he felt an overwhelming mixture of feelings, from happiness to sadness to fear. There was no doubt that the child that she was carrying belonged to Dean. Not that it mattered; he would love that child and protected it because it was part of Betty. He would love it like it was his own.

Though Dean was the father, he didn't deserve to be. He had used Betty and treated her horribly. He slept around behind her back. He basically only wanted her, so that Daniel couldn't have her. And when Betty was of no use to him anymore, he easily tossed her away.

It was true that right now, Dean was already consumed with Jordan and her pregnancy. He knew that could change though. If they returned to New York, there was a possibility that he might not even notice that Betty was pregnant. However, it would probably be only a matter of time thought. With the amount that he and Betty were photographed though, it was possible that it would be only a matter of time before he would try to claim his child and make their lives a living hell.

Daniel couldn't believe that he was actually thinking about trying to keep someone from his child. He would hate if someone did that to him. There were bigger issues here though. The most important thing was Betty. This was the last thing that she needed right now.

She didn't need the stress of looking over her shoulder. She needed a place where she could have a peaceful pregnancy. Because he knew that despite the fact the she hated the man that fathered her child, there was no way that she would consider any other alternatives.

As he gazed over at Betty, he could see her struggle to keep it together, in the presence of the doctor. He knew that she was on the verge of tears.

It was then that a plan was hatched. He knew that they had no choice. He had to do everything in his power to protect Betty and her baby. He knew that Betty might argue with him at first but in the end, he knew that she would agree that it would be the best thing. There were more important things that Dean's ego.

When the doctor left the room, Betty looked up at him. In her brown eyes, he could see the worry there. He put his arm around her and pulled her against him.

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	20. Chapter 20

**Two of a Kind**

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback and comments. This will be the final chapter of this part of the story. Never fear though. There will be a sequel, so technically the story isn't over yet. The title of the sequel will be "A Full House". I just feel that the story would be better told separately. _

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**Chapter Twenty**

The majority of their day had been taken up with medical tests to find out more about her pregnancy. She still was coming to terms with that fact that this was even happening, much less possible.

There was a range of emotions that she was experiencing that it was hard to make sense of anything at the moment. All she was doing was going through the motions, as she came to terms with the fact that just when she found her new life with Daniel. Dean had found his way back into her life.

As shocking as it was, she still considered it good news that it appeared that everything was progressing normally and she was early in her pregnancy. There was no doubt she got pregnant the last time that she and Dean had actually been together right before they had left for Hawaii.

Betty was happy that she was pregnant. She was sad that the baby didn't belong to Daniel. She knew that no amount of wishing would make that happen. Daniel wanted a family but he didn't sign up for this. Talk about a lot of baggage for a new marriage.

How would he feel watching another man's child growing inside her? Would it bring them together or drive them apart? This baby meant that she would forever be tied to Dean; a man she hated and a man who Daniel hated.

Though Daniel had been very supportive since the discovery, she had to wonder what was going through his mind. He had remained quiet for most of the day. They both had. It was a lot to take in.

Did he regret their quick marriage? Would he want an annulment? How would they be able to work together at SPARK, if that were the case? Maybe, she was getting worked up over nothing?

After leaving the doctor's office, they started back to the bed and breakfast. Daniel had reserved another two nights, even though the doctor said that she could travel. He simply told her that she needed to rest.

How she ached for the playfulness of the day before when they were lost in the amorous haze of the new chapter of their life. A short time when the rest of the world faded away and there was nothing but the two of them.

Now, they were in the midst of their reality.

"Are you hungry?" Daniel peeked over at her. His eyes floated to her belly and then back to the road.

"Starved." She nodded.

"Me too. I think there's a diner on this road. How's that sound?"

"That's fine." She looked out the car window.

As they continued down the road, Betty fought hard to keep from asking the question that were boiling her mind. Would it be better to just wait for Daniel to say something?

Before she knew it though, the words were falling out of her mouth. "Daniel, are you going to leave me?" She felt tears in her eyes.

"What?" Daniel's head turn quickly. "Why would you think that?"

When he saw the tears in her eyes, he brought the car to side of the road immediately. He turned off the car and gazed over at her.

She was speechless. She now regretted even saying it.

"Betty, I…I would never leave you." He said reassuringly.

"I wouldn't blame you. You didn't sign up for this. It was one thing when I lost the baby but now…" Betty's heart ached.

"Stop it, Betty. You and …this baby are the most important thing in my world right now. Nothing else matters. Why would you think anything else?"

Betty wiped the tears that raced down her cheek. "You just haven't said much."

He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." He reached across the seat and took her hand. "I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Like?"

"Betty, I'll take care of it. You need to worry about the baby. You heard the doctor you need to watch your stress level."

"Has something happened?" Betty asked cautiously. "Daniel, if something has happened you have to tell me. Is Papi okay?"

"Everyone is fine, sweetie. It's the magazine." Daniel said hesitantly. "Marc is working on it though and he said that he has everything handled."

"What happened?" She took a deep breath.

"This month's issue is gone. You know, kind of like what happened with MODE after my dad died," said Daniel.

"How?"

"Well, Marc suspects that Jordan was behind it. He doesn't have proof. He is handling it and hopefully, we will be able to get everything out in a few days."

"We can't afford a few days, Daniel." She recalled the nightmare of having to throw everything together. "We need to get back."

"Marc has it handled, Betty. I told him that we were going to be delayed a few days because you were having some minor complications from your surgery. I didn't tell him about the baby."

"When did it happen with the magazine?" She asked.

"Yesterday morning. He's been trying to call us. So has my mom. When I checked my messages, there was 15 of them."

"I knew that turning off our phones was a bad idea, Daniel."

"It wouldn't have changed anything, Betty. It would have probably happened whether we were there or not. Marc is helping out. Amanda and my mom are there too."

He added. "We might lose some advertisers because of the delay but it's not anything that we can't overcome. Right now, it's not the most important thing anyway." He lifted her hand to her cheek. "The most important thing is you and the baby and your health."

In Daniel's eyes, Betty saw that the strength that she needed at that moment. The man that she loved more than any other, he always managed to make her feel safe.

"Betty, I also think that this incident showed that we can't stay in New York now. It's not safe."

"You are afraid that Dean will try to take the baby," said Betty. "Do you really think that he would try to do that?"

"I wouldn't put anything past him, Betty. After the way that he has treated you, I think he is capable of anything. I mean, I know that he is the baby's father and I would hate if someone kept my child from me. But as far as I'm concerned, he lost all rights that he had to that child when he tossed you away."

Betty simply nodded, remembering the cruel words that Dean had said to her that day in the hospital.

"As far as I'm concerned, the baby belongs to us. I may not be the baby's biological father but I plan on being the best father that I can be. There are more important things than DNA."

"You are right." She knew he was correct. DNA didn't guarantee that you would be a good parent. Daniel would know that from experience with his own father. "I just don't want you to regret…"

"The only regret that I have is not marrying you a long time ago. Betty, I gave up almost everything for you and I don't regret it at all."

"Everything?"

He nodded. "Let's just say that Brooke wiped me out in the divorce. I'm not broke, of course. Still, she got more than she deserved."

"Why did you give her everything?"

"She wanted me to sleep with her one last time. Can you believe that? I told her that she could forget it. She threatened to tell the press all kinds of lies. I wanted to protect you from that. The only way was to pay the price and give her what she wanted."

"Daniel, you shouldn't have done that."

"I did…and I don't regret it. I would have given her everything that I owed to protect you and spend the rest of my life with you…and I would give up the rest of what I have to protect….our baby."

"Why didn't you tell me soon, Daniel?"

Daniel grinned. "I've been a little occupied with my new wife." He moved forward and kissed her. As he pulled back, Daniel looked into her eyes.

"So…what are we going to do now?" Betty whispered, as she reveled in the feeling Daniel's thumb tracing along her cheek.

"I think that we stay here for a few days. Then, we will go back to New York for a few weeks to wrap up a few things. We'll leave town before your pregnancy is noticeable. We'll find a safe place until the baby is born."

"Daniel, once we leave. Are we going to come back?" Betty asked curiously.

"I don't know. Right now, I just know that as long as we are together, we'll be okay." Daniel assured her.

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